CHENGDU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's southwestern Sichuan Province has dug an industrial well that pumps gas from volcanic stratum, the first of its kind in the Sichuan basin, a major gas production area in China.

Gas flared at the Yongtan 1 gas well in Zhoujia Township, the city of Jianyang, on Saturday, marking the success of the gas drilling, according to PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gasfield Company.

The well produced 225,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day during initial tests, the company said, adding that the area is estimated to have a huge gas reserve.

The successful gas drilling followed the discovery of thick volcanic strata that geologists believe contain abundant gas. Previously, gas was mainly found in sedimentary rocks in the Sichuan basin.

Volcanic strata, formed by magma erupted from a volcano, have been a new frontier in the world's gas and oil exploration.