Written by 
Marcus Lum
Dinosaur fossils have been discovered for the first time in Hong Kong, with Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho saying the find “is of great significance.”
The Development Bureau in a news briefing yesterday announced that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department located fossils on Port Island – a small outlying island located to the northeast of the New Territories and known in Cantonese as Chek Chau.
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences later confirmed the find as dinosaur fossils – with a preliminary estimation they were from the Cretaceous period – between 145 million and 66 million years ago.
Linn said institute experts believed the fossils could possibly be those from a Sauropoda or an Ornithischian dinosaur, based on their characteristics.
Experts from the institute said the climate of the dinosaur’s habitat was hot and arid based on the sedimentary rocks and sediments on Port Island.
The terrain was a long and narrow basin that contained large amounts of sand and gravel, which might have become floodplains during rainy seasons when rivers flowed through low-lying areas, the experts said.
They said the dinosaur was buried in sand and gravel, washed to the surface by floods and reburied at the site.
They also said the dinosaur was less likely to be buried in situ after its death since the fossils were found to be scattered and fragmented.
By further excavating the rock layers on Port Island, more samples could be extracted and restored for in-depth study and identification.
The assistant director of agriculture, fisheries and conservation, Jackie Yip Yin, said the whole Port Island, which is part of a country park, will be cordoned off until further notice.
”No one, except the experts, can go ashore on the island starting from today until the study is complete. The department has also coordinated with the marine region of the police force to set up patrols surrounding the island,” Yip said.
Linn said as the sea conditions surrounding Port Island tend to be rough, the time for experts to carry out further study will have to depend on the weather, so there is currently no estimated time when the study will be completed.
”The discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on paleoecology in Hong Kong,” she added.
The Antiquities and Monuments Office said the fossils will be displayed to the public starting tomorrow at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The office will also build a temporary workshop and exhibition space to showcase more fossils after they are cleaned and repaired. They are expected to be open by the end of the year.
Michael Pittman, assistant professor at the Chinese University’s School of Life Science, told The Standard he would need to examine the fossils physically to identify what parts they are, but he felt excited since it was a first discovery of its kind in the city.
He said it was difficult to find dinosaur fossils in Hong Kong as it “is covered with vegetation and sea” and the area to locate them are small.
”With the discovery, this meant that there are existing fossils in Hong Kong and we need to redouble our efforts to find more,” said Pittman. He said it is meaningful not only to dinosaur enthusiasts but many who like to visit such exhibitions to understand more about the city’s history.
The discovery could inspire more people to gain an interest in paleoecology and become paleontologists, he added.
marcus.lum@singtaonewscorp.com