In an unprecedented discover for Hong Kong, scientists have uncovered town’s first-ever dinosaur fossils on Port Island. Preliminary evaluation means that the bones seemingly belonged to a big Cretaceous-era dinosaur, an period courting again 145 to 66 million years. Officers have said that additional research are crucial to find out the precise 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 discovered 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 components. 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 skilled on the Chinese language College of Hong Kong, highlights the importance of the discover, acknowledging that finding dinosaur fossils is commonly troublesome as a result of particular geological necessities. In line with Pittman, profitable discoveries require the appropriate kind of rock formations from appropriate time durations—a mix not simply present in Hong Kong.
An Necessary Milestone in Hong Kong’s Fossil File
Though Hong Kong has beforehand revealed fossil stays from prehistoric marine life, this marks 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, notably given similarities between the rock formations on Port Island and people in Guangdong, the place intensive dinosaur stays have been recorded.
Public Exhibit to Characteristic Fossils and Reside Analysis
Beginning this Friday, the fossils can be on show on the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, providing the general public a novel view into town’s historic historical past. The exhibit will later increase with a workshop and show space, the place guests can observe researchers at work. To help ongoing analysis, Port Island has been briefly closed to the general public, guaranteeing the preservation of this worthwhile web site.