Hong Kong Global Geopark

Hong Kong Global Geopark

The Hong Kong Global Geopark of China (shortened as Hong Kong Geopark) is a geopark in Hong Kong, located in the eastern and northeastern parts of the New Territories. It includes two major areas—the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region and the Eastern Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region—comprising eight scenic zones in total. The park covers an area of 49.85 hectares, making it the smallest global geopark in the world by land size.

Despite its small size, the park boasts world-class acidic volcanic rock columns. It also showcases a segment of geological history formed through sedimentation during the Paleozoic era, approximately 520 to 250 million years ago, which is highly typical and rare. The volcanic rock columns consist of high-silica acidic rhyolitic volcanic rocks, covering an area of 100 square kilometers (part of which is underwater), with an average diameter of 1.2 meters. In terms of both scale and rock characteristics, they are considered rare on a global scale. More uniquely, the volcanic rocks here exhibit features of both tuff and lava, and geologists still hold differing views on how they were formed, giving them significant scientific research value. In addition, coastal processes have created a variety of erosional and depositional landforms here, and the fossils found provide clues to understanding the ancient Paleozoic environment, geography, climate, and biological evolution.

On September 17, 2011, the Hong Kong Geopark was inscribed on the UNESCO Global Geoparks List, becoming China’s 26th global geopark and a rare one located within an international metropolis.