HONG KONG — In a groundbreaking discovery, Hong Kong officials announced on Wednesday that they have found dinosaur fossils within the city limits for the very first time. The fossils were uncovered on a remote, uninhabited island that is a part of a designated geopark.

Initial examinations have suggested that the fossils belong to a significant dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, which dates back approximately 145 to 66 million years ago. The government indicated that further studies are needed to definitively identify the dinosaur species.

Experts theorize that after the dinosaur died, it may have been buried under layers of sand and gravel. It is believed that a powerful flood brought the remains to the surface, where they were subsequently buried again in the area where the fossils were discovered.

The sedimentary rock containing the suspected vertebrate fossils was identified by the conservation department earlier this year. In March, this information was communicated to the Antiquities and Monuments Office. The rock was located on Port Island, which lies within the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in the northeastern waters of the city.

To investigate this significant finding further, the local government enlisted experts from mainland China to carry out field studies.

As a precautionary measure, Port Island has been closed to the public starting Wednesday and will remain so until further notice, allowing for continued investigation and excavation work.

Starting this Friday, the discovered fossils will be put on display at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre located in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping area in the city. Additionally, authorities are planning to establish a temporary workshop by the end of 2024, where visitors will have the opportunity to watch experts at work as they prepare the fossil specimens.