Explorers announced Tuesday they have detected China's fifth largest natural gas field in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

The Qingshen gas field is located at the county of Zhaozhou, about 140 kilometers west to the city of Daqing, wherein lies China's largest oilfield.

The gas field is hidden in lava beneath the Daqing Oilfield and was detected after nearly one year of efforts by more than 2,000 explorers, said Wang Yupu, president of Daqing Oilfield Co., Ltd.

A preliminary probe shows that the gas field has reserves of at least 100 billion cubic meters.

Insiders say that the Qingshen gas field, which covers a vast area and boasts high quality natural gas, is China's fifth largest after those in the Tarim Basin, Qaidam Basin, Shanganning Basin and Chuanyu Basin.

The Qingshen gas field is a great discovery in natural gas exploration in eastern China, and will exert great influences on China's natural gas distribution, said Jia Chengzao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Jia said some international oil and gas explorers have for a long time held an idea that a large oilfield will be definitely accompanied with a large natural gas field and the detection of the Qingshen gas field for another time testifies to this opinion.

(Xinhua News Agency November 16, 2005)