China sparks worry as it starts drilling Earth's deepest borehole in the World

Chinese engineers have sparked environmental concerns as they are digging a new super-deep borehole far into the Earth’s crust to enhance the research on the natural resources deep inside the Earth's surface thousands of feet below. The borehole is expected to reach an estimated 10,520 meters (34,514 feet) on the site of the Sichuan Basin in southwest China, China's state-affiliated news agency Xinhua reported. The hole is being made in the Tarim Basin in China’s northwest autonomous region of Xinjiang and will be among the deepest human-made boreholes in the world made by humans. 

The first-ever deepest borehole was dug in northwest Russia, known as the Kola Superdeep Boreholea between 1970 and 1992 which is now defunct. It was made during the Soviet-era scientific drilling project and took approximately 20 years to finish. The hole was integral in studying the Earth's crust and mantle. The depth of the hole measured 12,262 meters (40,229 feet), a depth greater than the world's tallest peak Mount Everest measuring about 8,800 meters (28,871 feet). 

Borehole to penetrate more than 10 continental strata

The Chinese team of researchers are expected to penetrate more than 10 continental strata, which will reconstruct the history of the Earth's continents. It will unveil the details about the evolution of landscapes, climate change, and the distribution of life. Continental strata are layers of rock that are a significant resource in understanding of the Earth's history and can help identify the past earthly events including the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and climate change, as well can help researchers in identifying the ancient life forms.

"Drilling a borehole over 10,000 meters deep is a bold attempt to explore the unknown territory of the Earth and expand the boundaries of human understanding," Wang Chunsheng, a technical expert who joined the operation was quoted as saying by China's Xinhua news agency. He informed, that the borehole will penetrate a depth of 11,100 meters and is located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China. This is also an extremely challenging environment to work in. The digging of the borehole has already begun, he said. The drilling will help scientists understand about the timeline of the Earth's geological timeline and the world's formation.