Sinkhole risk in Wasco County, OR: Not karst, but voids possible
Not karst, but voids possible
No soluble bedrock; some pseudokarst (piping or lava-tube ground).
- On soluble rock
- 0%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 0%
The next step for one property
Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.
Across 2,381 square miles, under one square mile of Wasco County maps onto soluble rock. With about 26,507 residents (11 per square mile), much of the land is open, and the mapped rock may sit far from where people actually live. The figures come from 577 map points about 2.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Two things to read before deciding: how ground with no limestone still opens up, and how these percentages are measured.
Counties around Wasco County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Emery County, UT, about 683 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.
- Sherman County, OR 29 mi northeast · 0% at surface
- Hood River County, OR 34 mi northwest · 0% at surface
- Jefferson County, OR 36 mi south · 2% at surface
- Gilliam County, OR 46 mi east · 0% at surface
- Clackamas County, OR 50 mi west · 0% at surface
- Klickitat County, WA 52 mi north · 0% at surface
Against the rest of Oregon
Wasco County ranks 33 of 36 in Oregon for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- Baker County 14%
- Josephine County 9%
- Grant County 4%
- Polk County 3%
- Jackson County 2%