SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in York County, 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
5%
At or near the surface
5%
Buried under cover
0%

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 6 of York County's 105 square miles on soluble rock, 6 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 71,410 residents (682 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 322 map points about 0.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around York County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 68 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 Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 5% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

York County ranks 64 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 63% of US counties on that measure.