Sinkhole risk in Westmoreland County, VA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 20%
At or near the surface: 20%
Buried under cover: 0%

The next step for one property

Check the parcel against your state survey sinkhole map, and ask for an inspection if cracks, depressions or sticking doors show up.

That works out to roughly 47 of Westmoreland County's 229 square miles on soluble rock, 47 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 19,235 residents (84 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 411 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Westmoreland County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Clarke County, VA, about 95 miles northwest. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Richmond County, VA 12 mi south · 23% at surface
Essex County, VA 14 mi southwest · 42% at surface
St. Mary's County, MD 17 mi northeast · 15% at surface
King George County, VA 23 mi northwest · 45% at surface
Charles County, MD 28 mi northwest · 15% at surface
King and Queen County, VA 28 mi south · 37% at surface

What Westmoreland County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 20% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

Westmoreland County ranks 46 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 75% of US counties on that measure.