Sinkhole risk in Waynesboro city, VA: Sinkhole country
Sinkhole country
Soluble rock at or near the surface across much of the county.
- On soluble rock
- 69%
- At or near the surface
- 69%
- Buried under cover
- 0%
What to do about a house in Waynesboro city
Get a sinkhole or geotechnical inspection before buying, building or adding weight to a foundation.
That works out to roughly 10 of Waynesboro city's 15 square miles on soluble rock, 10 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 23,498 residents (1,570 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 248 map points about 0.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.
Counties around Waynesboro city
The closest county with no soluble rock mapped is Albemarle County, VA, about 19 miles east. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.
- Staunton city, VA 11 mi northwest · 89% at surface
- Augusta County, VA 15 mi northwest · 49% at surface
- Albemarle County, VA 19 mi east · 0% at surface
- Nelson County, VA 19 mi south · under 1% at surface
- Charlottesville city, VA 23 mi east · 0% at surface
- Harrisonburg city, VA 26 mi north · 85% at surface
The rock underneath
The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Elbrook Formation (dolostone (dolomite)), Cambrian in age, covering about 41% of the county. Next is the Waynesboro Formation at 24%.
Against the rest of Virginia
Waynesboro city ranks 12 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 92% of US counties on that measure.
- Lexington city 100%
- Salem city 100%
- Roanoke city 98%
- Winchester city 90%
- Bristol city 89%