Chinanews, Xi'an, Oct 24 – A large coalbed gas field has been discovered in the northeastern part of Hancheng City, Shaanxi Province. The geological reserves of the new gas field reach 5 billion cubic meters. This marks another new important discovery after China discovered a large coalbed gas field in Qinshui County, Shanxi Province.Established during the Xia (2100 BC-1600 BC) and Shang (1600 BC – 1100 BC), Hancheng is an ancient city with a long history and rich culture. It is also dubbed “coal city” with its rich coal reserves. In Hancheng, coal reserves reach 10.3 billion tons and proven coal reserves reach 2.7 billion tons. Of this, gas reserves that are embedded in coalbed reach 208 billion cubic meters and the amount of gas that can be explored reaches 190.76 billion cubic meters. Since the newly discovered gas field is distributed in a coalbed that lies 300-900 meters beneath the earth surface, the gas field is ideal for exploration.The gas embedded in coalbed is also called gas. The main element of the gas is CH4 and such gas is often found along with coal ore. In 2001, coal mine workers started to explore gas field in Hancheng. At present, workers have dug and operated eleven pits to explore the gas for trial purpose. One pit can produce 3,500 cubic meters of gas per day at most and the average gas production for one pit can reach 1,800 cubic meters. As exploration work carries on, industrial analysts predict that the proven gas reserves in Hancheng will further increase in future.