The government has announced that Port Island will reopen on Thursday after the excavation of dinosaur fossils was completed there. Around 30 rocks containing dinosaur fossils have been found since late October. In October, officials announced that dinosaur fossils believed to date back to the Cretaceous period, about 145 million to 66 million years ago, were discovered on Port Island in the northeastern waters of Hong Kong. The excavation work was led by the Antiquities and Monuments Office with help from mainland palaeontologists and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The team said all exposed fossils from the site have been removed, and they will study these fossils to figure out the dinosaur species and explore Hong Kong's palaeoecology. In a statement, a spokesman from the Development Bureau reminded members of the public that "the island is remote and lacks ancillary facilities for landing and sightseeing". "Due to geographical and weather conditions that may pose risks for boat docking, members of the public are urged not to take risks to land on Port Island," the statement read. The bureau added there will be a temporary workshop at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre from December 20 for people to observe the preparation of fossil specimens.
