Sinkhole risk in Valencia County, NM: 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: 13%
At or near the surface: 13%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Valencia County

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

That works out to roughly 135 of Valencia County's 1,067 square miles on soluble rock, 135 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 80,813 residents (76 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 260 map points about 2.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Valencia County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Eddy County, NM, about 212 miles southeast. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Bernalillo County, NM 25 mi north · 6% at surface
Socorro County, NM 51 mi south · 23% at surface
Torrance County, NM 53 mi east · 28% at surface
Sandoval County, NM 67 mi north · 18% at surface
Cibola County, NM 69 mi west · 29% at surface
Santa Fe County, NM 73 mi northeast · 18% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Madera Formation (limestone), Pennsylvanian in age, covering about 3% of the county. Next is the Yesa Formation at 3%.

4% of the county sits on gypsum or salt, which dissolves in years rather than millennia. That share matters more than its size suggests.

Against the rest of New Mexico

Valencia County ranks 18 of 33 in New Mexico for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 70% of US counties on that measure.