Sinkhole risk in Webster County, MS: 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: 7%
At or near the surface: 7%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 31 of Webster County's 421 square miles on soluble rock, 31 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 10,039 residents (24 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 314 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Webster County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Oktibbeha County, MS, about 27 miles southeast, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Choctaw County, MS 18 mi south · 0% at surface
Montgomery County, MS 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Calhoun County, MS 23 mi north · 6% at surface
Oktibbeha County, MS 27 mi southeast · 94% at surface
Clay County, MS 29 mi east · 94% at surface
Chickasaw County, MS 29 mi northeast · 93% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Porters Creek formation (clay or mud), Paleocene in age, covering about 7% of the county.

Against the rest of Mississippi

Webster County ranks 25 of 82 in Mississippi for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 65% of US counties on that measure.