Chinese scientists’ new innovative way to explore the Earth is gaining a lot of attention in the media worldwide. They have started to drill a hole which is going to be 10,000-meter deep into the Earth’s crust, according to a Bloomberg report. As the world’s second largest economy, China’s new move has had the neighbouring countries thinking of the purpose of its new project.
Drilling began in China’s oil-rich Xinjiang region on May 30, 2023, as per Xinhua News Agency. According to the report, the narrow shaft in the ground will penetrate more than 10 layers of rock and reach the Earth‘s cretaceous system. The cretaceous surface consists of rocks that date back to 145 million years! A scientist told Xinhua that the drilling project is so difficult that it can be compared to a big truck driving on two thin steel cables, reported Bloomberg.
Why is China drilling this massive hole?
The drilling is being done for no other purpose than deep Earth exploration. This can help detect any risk of environmental disaster like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Ihis man-made massive hole is going to come in handy for scientists to predict and warn about such upcoming disasters.
China is really going all out to excel in the science arena, as on the day of drilling the hole, they sent their first civilian astronaut into space from the Gobi Desert, as per the report.
President Xi Jinping in one of his speeches in 2021 had called for greater progress in deep Earth exploration. He was then addressing a group of China’s leading scientists. Such work can identify mineral and energy resources inside the Earth’s crust.
Which is the deepest man-made hole on Earth?
The deepest man-made hole on Earth is the Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole which took almost 20 years to drill. The hole had been drilled past 12,000 metres in 1989 but the process was then reportedly stopped for about one year due to various scientific and celebratory visits to the site.
