Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?

HKUGA College
HKDSE Geography

Lin Ma Hang -- Lead Anderson Road – Aggregate quarry

Dredging ship -- reclamation Ecotourism

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?
Major uses of geological resources in Hong Kong
(1) Mineral resources
⬧ Mining industry in the early and mid-twentieth century when both metallic and non-metallic
mineral resources are found in HK
Resources Location
Kaolin Chek Lap Kok
Iron ores Ma On Shan
Silver ores Mui Wo (Silver Mine Bay)
Tungsten Shing Mun River
Lead ores Lin Ma Hang

Figure 1: Distribution of economic mineral resources (now and then) in Hong Kong (p.91)

⬧ No mining activity since late twentieth century

➔ For urban development and water catchment

(2) Aggregates
Aggregates mined from quarries (i.e. sand, gravel and crushed stone) are used in construction as
concrete, mortar and asphalt
Urban development ➔ high demand for aggregates
BUT many local quarries cease to operate ∵ Exhaustion of rock reserves
➔ Government imports rock products from the mainland to meet the demand from the local
construction industry
+ Lam Tei Quarry in Tuen Mun as the only operating quarry for local demand

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?

Figure 2: Lam Tei Quarry (p.92)

(3) Aquifers bearing groundwater

An aquifer – a layer of permeable rock bearing water that can move
 Groundwater can be pumped out from wells by drilling into aquifers

Nowadays, groundwater is still widely used for irrigation in some parts of the New Territories,
e.g. Lam Tsuen, Yuen Long and Fanling

(4) Tectonic and denudation features

Remarkably rich in geological diversity
Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark to protect our geological heritage and to promote
geotourism
⬧ Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region
⬧ Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region
For educational purposes and scientific research on various geological processes by setting nature
trails with interpretation plates

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Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?

Figure 3: Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark (p.93)

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?

(5) Rock caverns – Large man-made spaces created by excavating rocks

Abundance of igneous rocks, including granite and tuff, make Hong Kong suit for developing
rock caverns (∵ hard rock)
BUT more supporting structures are needed to strengthen the cavern because granite
may be weaker in areas near major faults and zones of deep weathering

Rock caverns are potentially fit for various land uses (e.g. industrial, institutional and transport
land uses) with the following benefits:
⬧ Hide certain facilities to reduce their visual impact
⬧ Land occupied by original undesirable facilities can be released for other uses

Figure 5: Stanley Sewage Treatment Works relocated in a rock cavern (p.94)

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?
(6) Soils, rocks and marine sand
Many reclamation projects to provide land for development
 Soils, rocks and marine sand had once been extensively exploited as reclamation
materials

How is reclamation done?

Conventional reclamation method – removal of mud from seabed (i.e. fine sediment) by
dredging and replacing it with marine sand fill (i.e. coarser sand from seabed), construction of
seawalls to encircle the area to be reclaimed, and the pouring of other fill materials into the area

Figure 6: Conventional reclamation method (p.95)

What materials (fill) are used for reclamation in Hong Kong?

Choice of fill materials depends on:
⬧ Availability
⬧ Cost

Nature of fill materials and their source and distribution

Type of fill Nature of material Source and distribution
Rock fill Weathered granitic rocks ⬧ Excavated from the slopes in borrow areas in the
countryside
⬧ Mainly in the NT, e.g. Tai Tong East Borrow Area
in Yuen Long, area occupied by the Sai Kung West
Country Park (Wan Tsai Extension)
Marine (sand) Deposits of alluvium ⬧ Extracted from the seabed by dredging
fill ⬧ From the waters of HK (Figure 7) or imported from
mainland China and other countries
Public fill Inert construction ⬧ Obtained from development and demolition sites
materials, e.g. asphalt, ⬧ Managed in public fill reception facilities in HK
building debris, broken (Figure 7)
rock and concrete

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Figure 7: Sites for obtaining marine sand fill and public fill (p.96)

Effects of extracting reclamation materials to environment

(1) Rock fill (from borrow area’s weathered rocks of granite in the countryside)
Past: Large quantities of rock fill used to be extracted for reclamation purposes
BUT nowadays no longer adopt because:
⬧  Cost of rock extraction
⬧  Environmental problems

Figure 8: Negative environmental impacts of extracting rock fill (p.97)

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?
(2) Marine sand fill

Figure 9: Negative environmental impacts of extracting marine sand fill (p.98)

⬧ Impacts caused by the dredging of sand:

  Suspended sediment content
  Visibility of seawater
  Ability of sea creatures to find food
 The gills of fish may be clogged by the suspended sediment
⬧ Impacts caused by the dredging and dumping of mud:
 Toxic substances produced by years’ domestic and industrial
discharge are released when removing mud deposits for marine sand underneath
without proper measures / unwanted contaminated mud is dumped
➔  Toxicity of seawater [➔ kill marine life]
➔ Sea creatures’ bodies accumulate toxic substances such as heavy metals
➔ Heavy metals carried by the sea creatures enter the food chain and pose
a health risk to humans
e.g. Penny’s Bay reclamation (ship-repairing industry ➔ Disneyland)

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Figure 10: The harmful effects of extracting marine sand (p.98)

Considerations on extracting geological resources for reclamation:

⬧ Negative impacts on the environment
⬧ Economic losses to some sectors e.g. fishing industry
⬧ Economic benefit of extracting materials e.g. marine sand or rock when comparing with
other sources of fill
∴ Each project has to pass an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and be monitored
by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD)

Pros and cons of using public fill for reclamation

HK produces over 10 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste each year
➔ Adopt environmentally-friendly strategies to manage the waste when the landfills may not have
enough capacity
⬧ Recycle the waste
⬧ Reuse the inert waste i.e. public fill as reclamation materials

Pros and cons of using public fill

Pros Cons
⬧ As a substitute for rock fill or marine sand fill ⬧ Limited and unreliable supply (depends on
- Conserves natural resources the number and scale of urban redevelopment
- Lowers the reclamation cost projects)
⬧ Reduce waste ⬧ Requires on-site sorting (inert materials is
- Eases the landfill saturation problem (= required in order to avoid any chemical
relieve the pressure of landfill) reaction with the seawater which may exert
toxic substances)
- Process is troublesome and costly

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?
Case studies – Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok) [including the expansion of the
airport by using new reclamation method]
➢ Refer to textbook p.100-103

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 Dynamic Earth / 8.6 How do we manage our geological resources in Hong Kong?

1. (00/Q55)
Which of the following are possible environmental impacts of large-scale reclamation work on
both sides of the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong?
(1) swifter water current (2) increase in turbidity of sea water
(3) more frequent occurrence of red tides (4) destruction of marine habitats
A. (1) and (3) only B. (1), (2) and (4) only
C. (2), (3) and (4) only D. (1), (2), (3) and (4)

2. (02/Q42)
Which of the following are reasons against large-scale reclamation along the Victoria Harbour in
Hong Kong?
(1) slowing down the water flow (2) inducing water pollution
(3) upsetting the marine ecosystem (4) destroying the natural beauty
A. (1), (2) and (3) only B. (1), (2) and (4) only
C. (1), (3) and (4) only D. (2), (3) and (4) only

3. (02/Q48)
Which of the following human activities will adversely affect the coastal water quality in Hong
Kong?
(1) Relocation of dockyards (2) Reclamation
(3) Dredging (4) Dumping
A. (1), (2) and (3) only B. (1), (2) and (4) only
C. (1), (3) and (4) only D. (2), (3) and (4) only

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4. (04/Q47)

The shaded areas in the above map show the distribution of

A. badlands.
B. country parks.
C. abandoned farmlands.
D. areas reserved for future urban development.

5. (08/Q18)
Which of the following are the aims of designating areas as country parks in Hong Kong?
(1) Developing new towns
(2) Conserving land in the countryside
(3) Restricting the development of various kinds of economic activities
(4) Reserving land for auction
A. (1) and (4) only B. (2) and (3) only
C. (1), (3) and (4) only D. (1), (2), (3) and (4)

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