China has decided to dig a deep hole in the oil-rich Talkamkan Desert, in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Beijing has developed the necessary equipment and mobilized the technical team that will work on the giant project.
The excavation work will penetrate 145 layers of land to reach the Cretaceous system, where the rocks date back about <> million years. The project will contribute to the identification of mineral and energy resources, and help assess the risks of environmental disasters, such as earthquakes and volcanoes.