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Chinese engineers have spent more than 580 days drilling in the Taklamakan Desert, reaching a depth of 10,910 meters in Well Shenditake 1. The project, carried out by CNPC in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, aims to explore oil and gas while also testing the limits of ultra-deep drilling and enabling direct study of the Earth’s interior.
According to People’s Daily, CNPC announced the completion of Well Shenditake 1 in February 2025. Located in the Taklamakan Desert, the well reached 10,910 meters, becoming the deepest vertical well drilled in Asia.
Over more than 580 days of continuous operation, technical teams drilled through 12 geological layers, ultimately reaching rock formations more than 500 million years old. The final 910 meters took almost a year to complete, underscoring the increasing difficulty of drilling at extreme depth.
The project faced extreme temperatures and pressures that intensified as drilling progressed. The article notes that as depth increases, rock pressure can exceed 100 megapascals, while temperatures can rise to more than 200°C at great depths. These conditions affect equipment performance and increase mechanical challenges.
As the well went deeper, the drill bit wore more quickly, drilling fluid stability became harder to maintain, and metal components had to withstand extreme physical limits. The final phase therefore required frequent replacement and continuous adjustment, making the last kilometers slower, costlier, and technically demanding.
Although the well was completed in about 580 days, the final 910 meters required about 300 days to drill. The article attributes this slowdown to the combined physical and mechanical effects that intensify with depth.
To support the project, CNPC developed what it described as the world’s first 12,000-meter automated drilling rig and an advanced ultradeep geophysical logging tool. Li Yahui, chief designer of the Shenditake 1 rig, said that more than 90% of the drilling-system components were developed domestically, forming the basis for China’s ability to carry out ultra-deep and geologically complex exploration.
At 10,910 meters, Well Shenditake 1 penetrated 12 distinct geological layers representing different periods in Earth’s history. The article describes sediments formed over millions of years, compressed sandstone and limestone layers, and deeper structures containing much older rocks.
The key scientific outcome is that the drilling reached rock layers more than 500 million years old. Such layers provide rare access to information about climate, chemical composition, tectonic activity, and resource formation over hundreds of millions of years, offering a valuable window into deep Earth evolution.
While the well is linked to oil and gas exploration, the article emphasizes that the drilling also supports internal Earth science. At this depth, it enables direct study of crust structure, analysis of heat gradients, examination of ancient geological layers, and assessment of possible deep reservoirs.
The project also carries strategic significance for China’s domestic energy-exploration technology. The article places Shenditake 1 within a broader approach that includes geological surveying, advanced drilling technology, energy security, and expanding domestic resource capacity.
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