# Chek Chau

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chek_Chau
> Source revision: 1345479875
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{{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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/List_of_islands_and_peninsulas_of_Hong_Kong) under the administration of [Tai Po District](/source/Tai_Po_District). It is located in [Tolo Channel](/source/Tolo_Channel), in the northeastern [New Territories](/source/New_Territories). Its Chinese name literally means red island; after the [sedimentary](/source/sedimentary) rocks rich in [iron](/source/iron) that form this island.

== Dinosaur fossils discovery ==
On October 23, 2024, the [Development Bureau](/source/Development_Bureau) announced that experts discovered [dinosaur](/source/dinosaur) skeletons [fossils](/source/fossils) in Chek Chau, which was the first time dinosaur fossils were discovered in [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong).  According to expert estimates, the [fossil](/source/fossil) belongs to the [Cretaceous](/source/Cretaceous) period, about 145 million to 66 million years ago; the [dinosaur](/source/dinosaur) may have been buried under [sand](/source/sand) and [gravel](/source/gravel) after death, then washed out of the surface by [floods](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Town_Planning_Board) |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](/source/Town_Planning_Board) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

The [Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department](/source/Agriculture%2C_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](/source/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest_(Hong_Kong)) since 1979 because of its [ornithological](/source/Ornithology) interest.

==See also==
{{portal|Islands}}
* [Hong Kong National Geopark](/source/Hong_Kong_National_Geopark)
* [List of islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong](/source/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}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chek Chau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chek_Chau) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chek_Chau?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.