Why no dinosaur fossils found earlier in Hong Kong? Few resources, old assumptions on geology
‘High chance’ more dinosaur fossils will be found on Port Island or nearby areas, professor says
Hong Kong’s first discovery of dinosaur fossils has challenged traditional beliefs that finding the remains of ancient organisms is difficult in a small city with a history of volcanic activity and complex geology, according to experts.
They said these geological characteristics and resource-constrained palaeontological efforts could have been behind a lack of discoveries, but expected that more dinosaur fossils might be unearthed in the northeastern part of the city.
The Post spoke with three experts after the government on Wednesday announced the discovery of dinosaur fossils on Port Island in the Hong Kong Unesco Global Geopark.
The fossils belonged to a kind of dinosaur that dated to the Cretaceous period about 145 million to 66 million years ago.
“There is a high chance that more dinosaur fossils are to be found within Port Island or on nearby islands,” said Michael Pittman, assistant professor at the school of life sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
He pointed to areas such as Lai Chi Chong in Sai Kung, also in the northeastern part of the city, as potential sites for future fossil discoveries.
