Who is drilling the 10,000m hole in China?

Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and China National Petroleum Corp have begun drilling the hole into the planet’s surface.

Is this the world’s deepest-ever borehole?

No, the deepest man-made hole on Earth is still the Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole, which reached a depth of 12,262 meters (40,230 feet) in 1989, after 20 years of drilling.

What is the purpose of this drilling?

The project will provide data on the Earth’s internal structure while also testing deep underground drilling technologies.

What else can be found?

The drill will go through more than 10 layers of rock and reach the Cretaceous system in the Earth’s crust, which features rock dating back some 145 million years.

When did China’s deepest borehole drilling begin?

Drilling for what is set to be China’s deepest-ever borehole began on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

Where is China drilling this borehole?

China is drilling it’s deepest-ever borehole in the country’s oil-rich Xinjiang region.

How long will it take to drill the 10,000-meter hole?

The drilling is expected to take 457 days.

What is the construction difficulty of this drilling project?

“The construction difficulty of the drilling project can be compared to a big truck driving on two thin steel cables,” said Sun Jinsheng, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

What did Xi Jinping say about deep Earth exploration?

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for deep Earth exploration in 2021 to identify mineral and energy resources and assess environmental disaster risks, according to Bloomberg’s latest report.