Sinkhole risk in Wayne 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: 67%
At or near the surface: under 1%
Buried under cover: 66%

What to do about a house in Wayne County

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

That works out to roughly 268 of Wayne County's 402 square miles on soluble rock, 2 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 66,410 residents (165 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 380 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 66% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Wayne County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Kenton County, KY, about 69 miles south. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Union County, IN 17 mi south · 0% at surface
Fayette County, IN 18 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Randolph County, IN 21 mi north · 0% at surface
Preble County, OH 21 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Henry County, IN 21 mi west · 0% at surface
Darke County, OH 28 mi northeast · 0% at surface

What Wayne County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Whitewater Formation (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 45% of the county. Next is the Louisville Limestone through Brassfield Limestone at 22%.

Against the rest of Indiana

Wayne County ranks 28 of 92 in Indiana for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 53% of US counties on that measure.