As the project delves into the Cretaceous system, which dates back up to 145 million years, there is a possibility of discovering traces of living organisms. Previous deep Earth explorations have yielded microscopic fossils in rocks over two billion years old.

This more than six-mile-deep drilling endeavor aligns with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for progress in deep Earth exploration, comments the leader made while addressing some of the nation’s leading scientists in 2021.

The project could be instrumental in identifying valuable mineral resources essential for various technologies, and may also contribute to assessing environmental risks such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, two areas of significant interest for China.

[Somehow I suspect that Xi has motives other than benign exploration. It’s tough to figure out what those might be, however. It seems very odd to spend that much money looking for oil, though, when fracking could probably produce a lot more with a lot less expense. — Ed]