Xiaozhai Doline

A Brief Introduction to Xiaozhai Doline

Xiaozhai Doline is located in the Xiaozhai Village of Jingzhu Town which is 91 kilometers from Fengjie County of Chongqing. It is a perfect example to show the evolution of earth in the Quaternary period. Xiaozhai Doline is also the living fossil to demonstrate the formation of the Three Gorges in Yangtze River. It is the largest doline in the world. It lies on 30°44'23" of the north latitude and on 109°29' of the east longitude.

Attractions of Xiaozhai Doline

In Chinese, the term "katst doline" is commonly called "Tiankeng". So it is called Xiaozhai Tiankeng in China. Xiaozhai Doline is actually an oval-shaped "funnel". It is 133.1 meters high in the mouth of the doline and is 666.2 meters deep. The diameter in the mouth of the doline is 622 meters and the diameter in the bottom of the doline is 522 meters. Precipices of the doline are all quite steep. On the northeastern precipice is a path leading to the bottom of the doline.

There are also two platforms on the precipices. The first platform locates on the depth of 300 meters with a width of 2 to 10 meters. Two houses, in which there were once some people living, remain on the first platform. The other platform located on the depth of 400 meters in the shape of a slope. On the second platform grow lush and luxurious grasses. On the precipices of Xiaozhai Doline, several suspended springs pour down to the bottom of the doline. On the bottom of the Xiaozhai Doline, there are some underground rivers flowing slowly.

Scientific Value of Xiaozhai Doline

Xiaozhai Doline is a good illustration of the evolution of earth in the Quaternary period and is also a living fossil to show the formation of the Three Gorges in Yangtze River. So far, many explorers at home and from abroad have come here to do researches.

On the bottom of the Xiaozhai Doline, there was a fossil of a dinosaur. It was a Spinosaurus which lived in the Jurussic period, about 150 million to 75 million years ago. Strangely, the skull of this fossil was sawed into two parts and then was sewed up into a whole again. The cutting crack of the skull is quite regular, and the surgical skills can match that in today. It is unimaginable that it was done by the primitive people.

Another expedition discovered that there were seven balls inside the precipices of the Xiaozhai Doline. These balls are in the order like a curve. Some undecipherable words and symbols were engraved on the surface of the balls. According to the measurements, these balls have a history of 75 million to 80 million years and their main composition is titanium.