Sinkhole risk in Williamsburg city, VA: 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
- 4%
- At or near the surface
- 4%
- Buried under cover
- 0%
What to do about a house in Williamsburg city
Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.
Across 9 square miles, under one square mile of Williamsburg city maps onto soluble rock. With about 16,030 residents (1,793 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 530 map points about 0.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.
Counties around Williamsburg city
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 64 miles south. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.
- James City County, VA 5 mi northwest · 10% at surface
- Gloucester County, VA 14 mi northeast · 8% at surface
- Surry County, VA 14 mi southwest · 7% at surface
- Newport News city, VA 17 mi southeast · 0% at surface
- York County, VA 18 mi east · 5% at surface
- Charles City County, VA 20 mi west · 5% at surface
Which formation it is
The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 4% of the county.
Against the rest of Virginia
Williamsburg city ranks 69 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 61% of US counties on that measure.
- Lexington city 100%
- Salem city 100%
- Roanoke city 98%
- Winchester city 90%
- Bristol city 89%