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Vivian Au

Hongkongers have been enthralled in recent weeks by the news that dinosaur fossils have been found on a remote island.
First came the belated announcement, in October, that a set of fossils discovered on Port Island in 2013 had been confirmed to be from dinosaurs.
Then, expert investigators who headed for the island off the northeastern part of Hong Kong found about 30 more rocks with fossils.
The island is in one of several protected zones off Sai Kung, in the Unesco Global Geopark, a showcase of dramatic ancient rock formations that tell the story of Hong Kong’s rich and varied geological past.
Experts believe the fossils found there could date to the Cretaceous period, about 145 million to 66 million years ago.
The recent online buzz over fossils and dinosaurs had more than 100 people saying they were keen to join a group tour to the site.
“Wow, Hong Kong really has its own dinosaur fossils! We are so happy and excited!” gushed one social media user.
Another said: “We should visit the place where the dinosaurs were found, and maybe we can develop dinosaur tourism to boost our economy.”
Experts questioned calls to turn the discoveries into a “new attraction” to boost tourism, saying it was more important to put more resources and talent into taking the research forward.
Authorities were also quick to advise people against venturing on their own to the area, warning that it lacked facilities for visitors and could be unsafe.
They also reminded everyone that digging for fossils was off-limits and any specimens found had to be handed over to authorities.

A long history of discoveries
What many do not know is that Hong Kong has a long history of fossil discoveries, including one named after the city, according to experts and documented records.
Palaeontologist Fion Ma Wai-sum said the latest discovery of fossils was significant as a comparison with fossils on mainland China could provide insights into the region’s history.
“Hong Kong is full of potential for fossils and geology,” she said.
She said as far back as 1920, geologists had discovered a fossil of a marine species in Hong Kong. The marine creature, with a soft body, no spine and covered with a shell, was officially named Hongkongites hongkongensis in 1923.
According to the 1997 book Paleontology and Stratigraphy in Hong Kong, a wide range of marine species and plants had been found in 21 fossil areas, with more than 80 sites being excavated by then.
One of the authors, geologist, palaeontologist and former president of the Geological Society of Hong Kong Professor Lee Cho-min, also discovered the city’s oldest fossils in the 1980s. The Devonian fish fossils – placoderms – are believed to be about 400 million years old.
Noting that the last detailed study of Hong Kong fossils was done in the 1990s, Ma said: “Now is a good time for us to study all the fossils found in the city comprehensively.”
Another unnoticed geological discovery
Another development in local geological research made waves in international circles but went largely unnoticed in Hong Kong.
Veteran geologist and geophysicist Chan Lung-sang discovered a new geological structure formed by natural explosions on Kat O, an island near Port Island. The rock is a quartzite formed by hot groundwater.
In a journal article published in 2023, he said more than 100 examples of “a peculiar deformation pattern” could be observed in several of the rocks.
This was the first report of such geological structures formed by natural expanding vapour explosions in the ground, wrote Chan, who is honorary Earth Sciences professor at the University of Hong Kong and visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Kat O discovery has been added to a list of fewer than 20 geological structures in the world created by tectonic forces.
“It’s not like new structures are reported every day. Interestingly, this newly identified structure, the first of its kind in over 300 years of geological study, was discovered in Hong Kong,” he said.

A team at the University of California, Berkeley, was using equipment available at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to generate high-energy X-ray analyses of the Kat O rock structure, he said.
The findings might explain the formation of hot springs in China’s Guangdong province and help identify a new blasting technique that does not rely on explosives.
Chan said the recent discovery of dinosaur fossils was significant and represented “the last piece of the puzzle” in understanding the geological layers found in Hong Kong.
However, the discovery of dinosaur fossils in Hong Kong was long anticipated given the geological history of south China, where remains of the extinct creatures had been found.
“Unless the fossil is identified as a new species, it is unlikely to generate substantial interest in the international geological community,” Chan told the Post.
What happens to the fossils?
The recent excitement over dinosaurs roaming Hong Kong in the distant past also revealed how the authorities took 11 years to announce the discovery of fossils at Port Island.
Although the fossils were found in 2013, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department only informed the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of the discovery in March this year, prompting the government to bring in the mainland experts who confirmed they were indeed dinosaur remains.
The authorities said “work priorities” were the reason for the delay of over a decade.
Chan said that the Antiquities and Monuments Office, which is under the Development Bureau and responsible for approving and managing fossil collections, lacked “specialised expertise in palaeontology”.
He explained the Hong Kong Geological Survey team in the bureau’s Geotechnical Engineering Office was the only unit with expertise in geology.
“Ideally, this unit should be deeply involved in all matters related to geology and fossils. However, I question whether this was the case in the recent discovery of the dinosaur fossil,” he said.
He said rigid policies also limited how fossils could be used for educational purposes.

He recalled how his team found some local fossils and wanted to display them at the Science Museum and the Stephen Hui Geological Museum, but their proposal was rejected by authorities, who insisted that the fossils should be handed over to the government.
“I have no idea about the fate of those fossils,” he said.
The Development Bureau replied that according to the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, excavation of fossils in Hong Kong requires a licence granted by the Antiquities Authority.
The ownership of fossils found in Hong Kong belongs to the government from the moment of discovery, it added.
Regarding the case, the bureau said that the licence was issued in August 2021 and belongs to the Department of Earth Sciences of HKU, which also manages the Stephen Hui Geological Museum.
The Department wrote to AMO this August, on behalf of the licence holder, informing AMO that it would hand over the three fossils excavated under the licence. The fossils were handed over the next day.
As for recent talk of “dinosaur tourism” and calls for the government to develop a new attraction around Port Island, Chan said he was not in favour of the idea.
“Such initiatives are likely to result in construction and development in pristine areas, permanently altering their character and landscape,” he said.
He said nature was Hong Kong’s most valuable asset, with natural landforms that had existed for tens of thousands of years.
“We should not sacrifice them for short-term economic gains,” he said.
Wong Fook-yee, former assistant director of the conservation department, said the fossils found so far in Hong Kong were relatively fragmented. On the mainland, dinosaur fossils have been discovered in relative abundance, with specimens in a more complete state.
Telling a comprehensive story about fossils would mean discussing the changes of dinosaur habitats in the entire south China region, he said.
He believed that given the lack of palaeontologists and financial constraints, the government might not have the capacity to conduct further research and would need support from experts and scholars.
But Wong said authorities could do more to get young people interested in fossils through education, and they could become a valuable resource in the future.
Young Ng Chun-yeong, former chairman of the Association for Geoconservation, told the Post earlier that the government should strengthen management of visitors to the geopark before exploring further tourism opportunities there.
The area should not be “randomly opened” to anybody, and he cautioned against having people heading there to hunt for fossils.
He recommended authorities use surveillance cameras and drones to help step up the monitoring of illegal activities.
“There should be clear planning of routes [for visitors] with the help from geological experts,” said Ng, who chairs the National Geotourism Strategy Reference Group of the Australian Geoscience Council, the peak body of eight major geoscientific societies in Australia.

Dinosaur fossils and other fossils found in the city went on display on Friday at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in Kowloon Park.
The venue will include a preparation area where visitors can watch experts working on 30 locally uncovered rocks that contain dinosaur fossils.
The HK$3 million (US$386,010) Dinosaur Parlour features a preparation area where visitors can watch experts working on 30 locally discovered rocks with dinosaur fossils.
The 470 sq ft space can hold up to 35 visitors for each 10-minute viewing session.
Commissioner for Heritage Ivanhoe Chang Chi-ho said on Thursday that developing a “dinosaur economy” depended on market reactions.
He said his office would consider collaborating with dinosaur research institutions and museums in the Greater Bay Area to co-host exhibitions and would discuss with the Tourism Commission to launch suitable products aimed at attracting more visitors to Hong Kong.
Retiree Charles Wong, 68, who visited the exhibition on Friday, said that he often went hiking and believed he had encountered similar fossil patterns.
“I came here to deepen my knowledge and see if I can find any fossils in Hong Kong in the future,” he said.
He said he had recommended the exhibition to his hiking friends, and said it helped visitors to understand fossils, something lacking in the city’s education system.
Retiree Maria Li, in her 70s, who was at the exhibition on Friday with her husband, said: “The arrangement of the exhibition is quite good, as it showcases different kinds of fossils.”
She said it would be even better if there was space to display more local fossils.
Lam Kin-che, an adjunct professor at the department of geography and resource management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the discovery of dinosaur fossils were significant as they extended Hong Kong’s geological age to the Mesozoic era, 252 to 66 million years ago.
He said they provided an impetus to further explore how environmental changes led to the extinction of dinosaurs.


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Hong Kong society

Fossil findings set Hong Kong abuzz, but talk of ‘dinosaur tourism’ leaves experts cold

Illustration: Brian Wang

A former government official says authorities can do more to get young people interested in fossils through education. Photo: Edmond So

Veteran geologist Chan Lung-sang has discovered a new geological structure formed by natural explosions on Kat O, an island near Port Island. Photo: Handout

Port Island is currently closed off for further geological research after the discovery of dinosaur fossils. Photo: Eugene Lee

A dinosaur fossil on display at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong dinosaur fossil show opens on Friday, chance to see experts at work

An earlier exhibition showcasing a dinosaur fossil found in Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong tourists find 6 dinosaur egg fossils on Guangdong trip

Erik Yip (right) points to the discovery in  Heyuan city. Photo: Guangzhou Daily

A Hong Kong HK$1 coin placed against a fossil for scale. Photo: Guangzhou Daily

Researchers inspected the site and confirmed the find was a nest of six oval-shaped eggs. Photo: Guangzhou Daily

30 more rocks containing dinosaur fossils found on Hong Kong’s Port Island

Port Island was earlier closed off to allow experts to excavate more dinosaur fossils. Photo: Dickson Lee

Experts collect fossils sample from Port Island. Photo: Handout

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Recent discoveries are significant, but experts say city needs more resources, talent to deal with them


Recent discoveries are significant, but experts say city needs more resources, talent to deal with them.


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