Deepest continental well in Asia

A scientific drilling project in northeastern China reached a depth of 7,018 meters, making it the deepest continental well in Asia at the time. The Songke-2 well was drilled between 2014 and 2018 near Daqing in Heilongjiang province as part of an international geological research effort.

High recovery rate and data volume

The drilling team, led by Academician Wang Chengshan, achieved a core recovery rate of 96.61%, collecting 4,279.73 meters of rock core. The project generated 24 terabytes of data, despite extreme conditions including bottom temperatures over 240°C, which required specialized drilling techniques.

Cretaceous geological layers explored

The well traversed the full range of continental strata from the Cretaceous period, which lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago. This era included the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and provided a unique opportunity to study ancient geological conditions.

Hydrogen and shale gas findings

Researchers discovered hydrogen anomalies in the Denglouku and Yingcheng formations, with concentrations ranging from 1.36 to 26.89%. Additionally, 43 levels of shale gas anomalies were identified, totaling 102 meters of cumulative thickness, offering insights into deep natural resources and geological processes.

Thermal and uranium discoveries

The project also found hot dry rocks with temperatures between 150 and 240°C, linked to a heat flux of 84 milliwatts per square meter. Two abnormally rich uranium levels were detected, providing clues about the thermal dynamics of the Asian continent and its geological evolution.

New drilling record in Tarim basin

In January 2025, the Shenditake 1 well in the Tarim basin reached a depth of 10,910 meters, becoming the deepest vertical well in Asia. This project, which began in May 2023, took over 580 days to complete, with the final 910 meters requiring about 300 days of drilling.