The drilling of China's first borehole over 10,000 meters deep for scientific exploration began on Tuesday in the Tarim Basin, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinhua reported.

It represents a landmark in China's deep-Earth exploration, providing an unprecedented opportunity to study areas of the planet deep beneath the surface.

With a design depth of 11,100 meters, the borehole is located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China.

During the drilling process, the equipment, including drill bits and drill pipes weighing more than 2,000 tons, will go deep into the Earth, penetrating more than 10 continental strata, including the Cretaceous system.