In an unprecedented discover for Hong Kong, scientists have uncovered the town’s first-ever dinosaur fossils on Port Island. Preliminary evaluation means that the bones probably belonged to a big Cretaceous-era dinosaur, an period courting again 145 to 66 million years. Officers have acknowledged that additional research are obligatory to find out the particular species, marking an thrilling step ahead for Hong Kong’s contribution to palaeontology.
Discovery at Port Island: Hong Kong’s Geological Treasure
The fossilised stays had been found inside a UNESCO-recognised geopark on Hong Kong’s Port Island. The bones appeared scattered and weathered when it’s unearthed. This gave a touch at a historical past of publicity to environmental parts. Officers speculate that the dinosaur’s stays had been initially buried underneath sediment, later re-exposed by pure forces, and subsequently reburied. Dr Michael Pittman, Assistant Professor and dinosaur knowledgeable on the Chinese language College of Hong Kong, highlights the importance of the discover, acknowledging that finding dinosaur fossils is usually troublesome as a result of particular geological necessities. In line with Pittman, profitable discoveries require the best sort of rock formations from appropriate time durations—a mixture not simply present in Hong Kong.
An Essential Milestone in Hong Kong’s Fossil Document
Though Hong Kong has beforehand revealed fossil stays from prehistoric marine life, this marks the town’s first confirmed dinosaur fossils. Earlier fossil finds have included ostracods and ammonites from almost 400 million years in the past, but no dinosaur stays had ever been documented till now. Officers famous that this discovery, rooted in Hong Kong’s wealthy geological layers, highlights the world’s potential for future fossil finds, significantly given similarities between the rock formations on Port Island and people in Guangdong, the place intensive dinosaur stays have been recorded.
Public Exhibit to Function Fossils and Reside Analysis
Beginning this Friday, the fossils shall be on show on the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, providing the general public a novel view into the town’s historic historical past. The exhibit will later develop with a workshop and show space, the place guests can observe researchers at work. To help ongoing analysis, Port Island has been quickly closed to the general public, making certain the preservation of this priceless web site.
