Staff members work at "Shenditake 1" borehole in the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 3, 2024. The drilling of a superdeep borehole in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region reached 10,000 meters at 2:48 p.m. Monday and is going deeper, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)