URUMQI -- The drilling of a superdeep borehole in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region exceeded 10,000 meters on Monday afternoon, marking a breakthrough in the country's deep-Earth exploration.

Located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, the "Shenditake 1" is expected to reach a designed depth of 11,100 meters upon completion. It is China's first scientific exploration borehole designed to exceed a depth of 10,000 meters.

Since the start of drilling on May 30, 2023, the borehole has penetrated 13 continental strata, with more than 1,000 drill pipes driven into the Earth and over 20 drill bits consumed in the process.

"It is the first time that China has drilled a vertical borehole over 10,000 meters deep," said Wang Chunsheng, chief expert of the Tarim Oilfield of China National Petroleum Corporation, which is in charge of the drilling.