Sinkhole risk in Yakima County, WA: Not karst, but voids possible
Not karst, but voids possible
No soluble bedrock; some pseudokarst (piping or lava-tube ground).
- On soluble rock
- 0%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 0%
What this means before you buy
Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.
Across 4,295 square miles, under one square mile of Yakima County maps onto soluble rock. With about 258,523 residents (60 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 302 map points about 3.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: how ground with no limestone still opens up, and how these percentages are measured.
Counties around Yakima County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Emery County, UT, about 722 miles southeast. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.
- Klickitat County, WA 41 mi south · 0% at surface
- Kittitas County, WA 46 mi north · under 1% at surface
- Benton County, WA 60 mi east · 0% at surface
- Skamania County, WA 65 mi southwest · 0% at surface
- Sherman County, OR 73 mi south · 0% at surface
- Gilliam County, OR 77 mi south · 0% at surface
Against the rest of Washington
Yakima County ranks 39 of 39 in Washington for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- San Juan County 4%
- Stevens County 3%
- Pend Oreille County 2%
- Okanogan County under 1%
- Ferry County under 1%