SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Wyoming County, PA: 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
2%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
2%

The next step for one property

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

That works out to roughly 8 of Wyoming County's 397 square miles on soluble rock. With about 25,771 residents (65 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 303 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Wyoming County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 67 miles southwest. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Mauch Chunk Formation (shale), Mississippian in age, covering about 2% of the county.

The county also lies over the Michigan Basin; Ohio Basin; Appalachian Basin, a deep salt or gypsum basin. Deep beds rarely cause surface collapse on their own, but wells and mining into them have.

Against the rest of Pennsylvania

Wyoming County ranks 67 of 67 in Pennsylvania for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.