China begins drilling 10,000-metre deep hole into Earth's crust

Chinese scientists have begun drilling a 10,000-metre hole into the Earth's crust. Drilling for the borehole, which is set to be China's deepest-ever, started in the country's oil-rich Xinjiang region on Tuesday, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. The narrow shaft into the ground will penetrate more than 10 continental strata or layers of rock.