{{Short description|Island in Hong Kong New Territories}} {{Refimprove|date=July 2007}} {{Infobox islands |name = Chek Chau |native_name = 赤洲 |native_name_link = Chinese language |image_name = Port Island, Hong Kong 1.jpg |image_size = 250px |image_caption = Port Island viewed from Wan Tsai. |map = Hong Kong |coordinates = {{Coord|22.501094|N|114.358975|E|display=title,inline|type:isle}} |area_km2 = |country = {{HKG}} |country_admin_divisions_title = Districts |country_admin_divisions = Tai Po District |population = 0 |population_as_of = }} thumb|Port Island '''Port Island''' or '''Chek Chau''' ({{zh|赤洲}}) (cek3 zau1) is an island of Hong Kong under the administration of Tai Po District. It is located in Tolo Channel, in the northeastern New Territories. Its Chinese name literally means red island; after the sedimentary rocks rich in iron that form this island.
== Dinosaur fossils discovery == On October 23, 2024, the Development Bureau announced that experts discovered dinosaur skeletons fossils in Chek Chau, which was the first time dinosaur fossils were discovered in Hong Kong. According to expert estimates, the fossil belongs to the Cretaceous period, about 145 million to 66 million years ago; the dinosaur may have been buried under sand and gravel after death, then washed out of the surface by floods, and then buried again until its fossilized form was discovered.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dinosaur fossils - Hong Kong's first discovery of at least 66 million years ago was put on display to the public on October 25. Chizhou Island is temporarily closed |url=https://www.stheadline.com/society/3394618 |accessdate =2024-10-23 |work=Headline Daily |date=2024-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/access/pec/SSSI.html |title=Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=Planning Department |access-date= |quote= |archive-date=2023-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816204514/https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/access/pec/SSSI.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/access/pec/SSSI/plans/12.pdf |title=Site of Special Scientific Interest - Port Island |last= |first= |date=30 September 1992 |website= |publisher=Planning Department |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department later admitted that the fossils were discovered back in 2013 but the department has to prioritize other work and so the fossils were stuck in identification for 11 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-10-27 |title=11年前悉可能有化石 漁署：聚焦迫切工作未即跟進 |url=http://www.mingpaocanada.com/van/htm/News/20241027/HK-gbd1_r.htm |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=Ming Pao Canada |language=zh}}</ref>
==Conservation== Port Island has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1979 because of its ornithological interest.
==See also== {{portal|Islands}} * Hong Kong National Geopark * List of islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Port Island, Hong Kong}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100405005948/http://www.geopark.gov.hk/en_landforms1j.html Danxia wonder at sea － Port Island] {{Tai Po District}} {{Islands of Hong Kong}}
Category:Uninhabited islands of Hong Kong Category:Tai Po District Category:Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark Category:Underwater diving sites in Hong Kong {{TaiPo-geo-stub}}