CHANGCHUN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Crust 1, a land-based drilling rig, concluded its first mission on Saturday, putting China among the frontrunners in onshore drilling, along with Germany and Russia.

China's domestic super drilling rig, Crust 1,  concludes 1st mission, putting China among the frontrunners in onshore drilling (Photos: Xinhua)

The four-year mission Songke 2, drilled a 7,018-meter borehole -- the first in the world to pass through the continental stratum of the Cretaceous period -- in the Songliao Basin in northeast China.

Jointly developed by Jilin University and Sichuan-based Honghua Group, Crust 1 can dig as deep as 10,000 meters and is China's most advanced land-based drilling rig.

Plans are afoot to increase its drilling capability to up to 15,000 meters, according to Professor Sun Youhong, director of the Crust 1 project.

This photo taken on June 2, 2018 shows the Crust 1 land-based drilling rig system during a mission in the Songliao Basin in northeast China. Crust 1, a land-based drilling rig, concluded its first mission on Saturday, putting China among the frontrunners in onshore drilling, along with Germany and Russia. Jointly developed by Jilin University and Sichuan-based Honghua Group, Crust 1 can dig as deep as 10,000 meters and is China's most advanced land-based drilling rig.