Sinkhole risk in Tippecanoe County, IN: Mostly deep or small

Mostly deep or small

Some soluble rock, mostly deeply buried or in a small share of the county.

On soluble rock: 8%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 8%

What to do about a house in Tippecanoe County

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 37 of Tippecanoe County's 499 square miles on soluble rock. With about 191,650 residents (384 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 399 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Tippecanoe County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Monroe County, IN, about 87 miles south. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Carroll County, IN 22 mi northeast · under 1% at surface
Clinton County, IN 23 mi east · 0% at surface
Montgomery County, IN 24 mi south · 0% at surface
White County, IN 25 mi north · 0% at surface
Warren County, IN 25 mi west · 0% at surface
Fountain County, IN 26 mi southwest · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Muscatatuck Group (limestone), Devonian in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Wabash Formation at under 1%.

The county also lies over the Illinois Basin, a deep salt or gypsum basin. Deep beds rarely cause surface collapse on their own, but wells and mining into them have.

Against the rest of Indiana

Tippecanoe County ranks 82 of 92 in Indiana for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.