HOHHOT, Feb. 15 -- A six-meter-high industrial gas flow was discovered at a shale gas well in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, marking a breakthrough in shale gas development in north China, local authorities said Sunday.

The well, based in coal-rich Ordos City, is 3,568 meters deep. The maximum daily gas flow of the well is 50,000 cubic meters and has a daily production capacity of 19,500 cubic meters, according to the regional land and resources department.

More than 87 percent of the shale gas discovered at the well is methane, making it a potential high-yield well, according to the department.

The date for commercial development of the well is not yet known.

Shale gas is a natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. As a clean and efficient energy source, its importance is growing globally.

China's reserves being invested in for exploration have hit 130 billion cubic meters.

The Fuling field based in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality is expected to become China's first shale gas field with an annual production capacity of 10 billion cubic meters in 2017, equivalent to an oil field with an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes.