Record #00399Nature archive
Largest Karst Tiankeng by Volume
Xiaozhai Tiankeng in Fengjie County, Chongqing, China, is the largest known karst collapse sinkhole by volume, containing approximately 119 million cubic metres of void space and reaching around 662 metres deep.
ARCHIVE VISUAL / 01
NOT TO SCALE
Current Record
about119,300,000m³
Current record value
- Holder
- Xiaozhai Tiankeng
- Location
- Fengjie County, Chongqing, China · Chongqing Municipality
- Start date
- —
- Record status
- VerifiedView verification details ↗Report an issue
Overview
Archive NoteXiaozhai lies in the karst landscape of Fengjie County and has an approximately elliptical opening around 626 metres long and 537 metres wide. Steep walls form a two-level nested depression.
An International Congress of Speleology comparison lists about 119.3 million m³, while satellite-based geographic analysis rounds the figure to about 120 million m³. Seasonal water flows and underground drainage contribute to its karst development.
Record history
1 Milestones- about 119,300,000 m³Xiaozhai TiankengFengjie County, Chongqing, ChinaCurrent Record
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesVerification basis and limitations
VerifiedThe record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: comparison of consistent primary data
International Congress of Speleology proceedings compared known karst tiankeng volumes and listed Xiaozhai at 119.3 million m³. Sentinel Vision's 2023 satellite/DEM analysis independently describes it as the largest at approximately 120 million m³.
- Verification assessment
- 2026-11-05
- Last editorial review
- 2026-11-05
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