China seems to have embarked on a journey to the center of the earth. Last week, the country began digging the deepest hole in Chinese history to test drilling technology and better understand Earth’s underground structure, and dug the first hole for that purpose.
The hole will be 10,000 meters deep when completed. The drilling, conducted by the China National Petroleum Corporation, is expected to take 457 days. This hole will cut through 10 continental plates, which are various layers of the earth. When completed, it will reach the Cretaceous system, and the rocks within this layer are more than 140 million years old.
This drilling project forms part of the country’s efforts to expand underground exploration. In a speech he made in 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged scientists to overcome new obstacles in different fields, including deep earth exploration. And earlier this year, Chinese officials pledged to strategically develop the country’s energy resources and mineral resources. In an interview, Minister of Natural Resources Wang Guanghua said that China will launch a new local mineral exploration activity, focusing on minerals that are short of supply.
This explains why the project took place in the country’s largest oil and gas producing area, Xinjiang. China also has some of the world’s largest reserves of iron ore, which is used extensively in steelmaking. This could present another energy opportunity for the country as it tests China’s drilling technology.
Countries around the world are focusing more and more on mineral exploration. Rare minerals and other elements found deep underground are of great importance for new clean technologies. These minerals are often used for batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage systems and wind turbines. With the increasing demand for clean energy, countries and businesses will constantly need these minerals.
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