Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Engineering Project in Songliao Basin: progress in Earth Science research

The Songke No.2 well (eastern hole) (referred to as Well SK-2), one of the "two wells and four holes" of the Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Engineering Project in the Songliao Basin, is in Anda City, Heilongjiang Province, and was officially completed on May 26, 2018. The scientific goals of Well SK-2 cover four aspects: paleoclimate research, resource and energy exploration, primary geological research, and development of deep earth exploration techniques. Since the official commencement of drilling in 2014, the Well SK-2 scientific drilling engineering team has organized and implemented drilling for coring, in situ logging, chemical analysis of core elements, and deep structural exploration around the well. Currently, the following preliminary scientific research progress has been made: 4334.81 m in situ core data has been obtained; the centimeter-level high-resolution characterization of the most complete and continuous Cretaceous continental strata ever unearthed has been completed, and the standard profile of continental strata has been initially established; the unconventional natural gas resources and basin-type hot dry rocks in the deep Songliao Basin were found to have good prospects for exploration and development; the climatic evolutionary history of the Cretaceous continental strata was rebuilt for the first time, covering hundreds of thousands to millions of years, and the major events of Cretaceous climate fluctuations have been discovered; all these reveal strong evidence for the subduction and aggregation of paleo-ocean plates, providing a theoretical basis for the re-recognition of the genesis of the Songliao Basin and for deep earth oil and gas exploration. The implementation of the Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Engineering Project in the Songliao Basin is of great significance for exploring the mysteries of the Earth and solving major problems such as those related to the deep energy environment. It is a solid step along the road of "going deep into the Earth". (c) 2018 China Geology Editorial Office.