A large number of bare rocks exposed in the field represent one of the most spectacular scenes of the Karst Rocky Desertification (KRD) process. The presence of bare rocks modifies the microenvironment. An understanding of soil moisture variability is necessary to characterize the linkages between a region's hydrology, ecology, and physiography. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of those exposed bare rocks on soil moisture in the surrounding area in a typical KRD region-the Forest Station of Sandoqing, in Fu'yuan County, Yun'nan Province, Southwest China. Dynamic soil moisture was quantified in Feb, 2010 during an extreme drought period. Results showed that during the drought period, soil moisture on the north side of the rocks was significantly higher than those on the east, west and south sides (p.