Sinkhole risk in Virginia Beach city, VA: No soluble rock mapped

No soluble rock mapped

No soluble bedrock mapped.

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

What this means before you buy

No soluble bedrock is mapped here, so natural sinkholes are unlikely. Collapses from broken pipes or old mines are a separate risk.

Across 245 square miles, under one square mile of Virginia Beach city maps onto soluble rock. With about 454,808 residents (1,858 per square mile), most of the county is built up, so a mapped unit is likely to sit under somebody's street. The figures come from 610 map points about 0.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Virginia Beach city

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 60 miles southwest. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Norfolk city, VA 16 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Chesapeake city, VA 17 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Portsmouth city, VA 19 mi west · 0% at surface
Hampton city, VA 24 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Poquoson city, VA 28 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Currituck County, NC 29 mi south · 0% at surface

Against the rest of Virginia

Virginia Beach city ranks 133 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.