Sinkhole risk in Yoakum County, TX: 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%
The next step for one property
Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.
Across 800 square miles, under one square mile of Yoakum County maps onto soluble rock. With about 7,581 residents (9 per square mile), much of the land is open, and the mapped rock may sit far from where people actually live. The figures come from 399 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and how ground with no limestone still opens up.
Counties around Yoakum County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Ector County, TX, about 91 miles south. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.
- Terry County, TX 29 mi east · 0% at surface
- Cochran County, TX 31 mi north · 0% at surface
- Gaines County, TX 31 mi south · 0% at surface
- Hockley County, TX 42 mi northeast · under 1% at surface
- Lea County, NM 42 mi southwest · 0% at surface
- Lynn County, TX 59 mi east · 1% at surface
Against the rest of Texas
Yoakum County ranks 252 of 254 in Texas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- Kerr County 99%
- Edwards County 99%
- Kendall County 98%
- Kimble County 97%
- King County 97%