Sinkhole risk in Wyandotte County, KS: 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: 39%
At or near the surface: 7%
Buried under cover: 32%

What to do about a house in Wyandotte County

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

That works out to roughly 59 of Wyandotte County's 152 square miles on soluble rock, 10 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 169,418 residents (1,117 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 245 map points about 0.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 32% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Wyandotte County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Johnson County, KS, about 16 miles south, 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.

Leavenworth County, KS 16 mi west · 0% at surface
Johnson County, KS 16 mi south · 67% at surface
Platte County, MO 18 mi north · 0% at surface
Clay County, MO 23 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Jackson County, MO 24 mi east · 71% at surface
Douglas County, KS 32 mi southwest · 23% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Kansas City Group (limestone), Middle Pennsylvanian- Missourian in age, covering about 26% of the county. Next is the Lansing Group at 13%.

Against the rest of Kansas

Wyandotte County ranks 75 of 105 in Kansas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 65% of US counties on that measure.