Bluff Island, indigenously known as Sha Tong Hau Shan (), also known as Ung Kong (), is an island in

Port Shelter Port Shelter, known in Cantonese as Ngau Mei Hoi (), is a harbour south of Sai Kung Peninsula in Hong Kong. The water body connects to Inner Port Shelter (known in Cantonese as Sai Kung Hoi; ), as well as Hebe Haven (), Rocky Harbour () and o ...

, south of

Sai Kung Peninsula The Sai Kung Peninsula () is a peninsula in the easternmost part of the New Territories in Hong Kong. Its name comes from Sai Kung Town in the central southern area of the peninsula. The southern part of the peninsula is administrated by Sai ...

of Hong Kong. It is an important area for

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

s and other marine life. The island is zoned as Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1979. The surrounding water has not yet been legally protected and thus the corals are damaged by anchors of holiday visitors.

Geography

The elongate Bluff Island, which is oriented northeast to southwest, reaches a maximum

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

of a little over 140 meters. The island is asymmetrical, forming a high ridge on the south-eastern side with a cliffed coastline. In contrast, the north-western aspect of the island slopes more gently towards a rocky coastline. The 140-meter high cliffs that fringe the south-eastern-facing coast of Bluff Island are the highest

sea cliffs A cliffed coast, also called an abrasion coast, is a form of coast where the action of marine waves has formed steep cliffs that may or may not be precipitous. It contrasts with a flat or alluvial coast. Formation In coastal areas in whic ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. Fan Tap Pai () in the south of the Island is one of the most spectacular coastal scenes in Hong Kong. This huge

sea cave A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as relic ...

cuts right through the island and it is just wide enough for a boat to sail past. An open U-shaped bay, Ung Kong Wan (), is located at the north of the island.

Conservation

Together with

Basalt Island Basalt Island or Fo Shek Chau () is an island of Hong Kong and administratively part of the Sai Kung District. Together with Wang Chau and Bluff Island, it forms the Ung Kong () Group and is part of Hong Kong Global Geopark. Geography Basalt ...

and Wang Chau, Bluff Island forms the Ung Kong Group () and is part of Hong Kong National Geopark. The Ung Kong Group Special Area () covers 176.8 hectares and was designated in 2011. It consists of

, Bluff Island, Wang Chau, their surrounding islets, and Kam Chung Ngam () in the southern part of

Jin Island Jin Island or Tiu Chung Chau () is an island in the Port Shelter, the New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively it is part of the Sai Kung District. Geography Jin Island is located south of the larger island of Kau Sai Chau, from which it ...

. The geology of the area is characterised by

volcanic rock Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic ...

s of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

periods.

References

External links

Magnificent sea stacks–Bluff Island
{{coord, 22.320609, 114.350834, type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink, display=title Uninhabited islands of Hong Kong Sai Kung District Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark

Geography

Conservation

See also

References

External links