2013/3/4

Outline
• Overview of Hong Kong geology
GRANITES AND VOLCANIC ROCKS – • Characteristics of volcanic and granitic rocks
KNOWING OUR VIOLENT GEOLOGICAL PAST • Mesozoic volcanic activities
花崗岩和火山岩 - 了解香港激烈的地質歷史
• The High Island Supervolcano
Denise Tang
Geotechnical Engineering Office, • Q&A
Civil Engineering and Development Department

6th March 2013

香港地質歷史
香港地質歷史
地質年代 Geological Time Hong Kong Geological History
ERA 代 PERIOD 時期
• More than 400 million
QUATERNARY 第四紀
新生代
NEOGENE 新近紀
years of geological
CENOZOIC
PALAEOCENE 古近紀
history since the
CRETACEOUS 白堊紀 Devonian
中生代 JURASSIC 侏羅紀
MESOZOIC
TRIASSIC 三疊紀
PERMIAN 二疊紀
CARBONIFEROUS 石炭紀
DEVONIAN 泥盆紀
古生代
SILURIAN 志留紀
PALAEOZOIC
ORDOVICIAN 奧陶紀
CAMBRIAN 寒武紀
GEOLOGICAL TIME

PRECAMBRIAN 前寒武紀
SCALE DERIVED
FROM RELATIVE
AGES OF FOSSILS

香港地質圖
香港地質圖
Geological Map of Hong Kong 香港岩石 Rocks in Hong Kong
10%

Igneous Rocks Quaternary

Sedimentary Metamorphic
Superficial
(75%) Rocks Rocks
Deposits (15%)

Plutons and Clastic sedimentary Foliated Onshore

dykes rocks metamorphic rocks

Volcanic rocks Biological Marine

sedimentary rocks Non-foliated
metamorphic rocks

Chemical Intertidal
sedimentary rocks

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晚古生代沉積岩 泥盆紀
Late Palaeozoic Sedimentary Rocks DEVONIAN PERIOD
在香港出露最老的岩層 Oldest rock 黄竹角咀
Bluff Head
formation exposed in Hong Kong

盾皮魚 Placoderm – Armored Fish

(Source: Sewell et al., 2000)

早石炭紀 深圳大理石採石場
Marble Quarry in
EARLY Shenzhen
CARBONIFEROUS
PERIOD (360-320 Ma)

元朗大理岩岩芯
Yuen Long marble drill cores

(Source: Jones et al., 1997; Sewell et al., 2000)

石墨片岩 Graphite schist 早石炭紀 二疊紀 PERMIAN PERIOD (300-250Ma)

EARLY
CARBONIFEROUS
PERIOD (360-320Ma) 馬屎洲
Ma Shi Chau

石英岩 Quartzite

三角洲沼澤 Deltaic Swamp

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早中生代沉積岩（
早中生代沉積岩（火山活動之前） 火山活動之前）
從泥盆紀和二疊紀時期，香港時而被海洋淹沒。
Between Devonian and Permian periods, Hong Kong
Early Mesozoic Sedimentary Rocks (Pre-volcanism)
was submerged under the ocean from time to time.

(Source: Sewell et al., 2000)

EARLY JURASSIC
MIDDLE JURASSIC

Nai Chung (Source: Lee et al., 1997)

Tai O
(Source: Lee et al., 1997)
Ammonite fossils

中生代 - 恐龍時代 中侏羅紀至早白堊紀

MIDDLE JURASSIC TO
MESOZOIC – the era of dinosaurs EARLY CRETACEOUS
• In Hong Kong, volcanic 164-140 Ma
activities, and the
associated granite
emplacements, 果洲群島
Ninepin Islands
occurred between 164
million years to 140
million years ago
• i.e. between Middle
Jurassic and Early
Cretaceous
中侏羅紀至早白堊紀 蒲台島
Po Toi
獅子山 Lion Rock Island

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中生代火山岩及相關花崗質岩石 晚中生代至早新生代沉積岩（火山活動之後）
Mesozoic Volcanic and Associated Granitic Rocks
Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic Sedimentary Rock (Post-volcanism)

(Source: Sewell et al., 2000)

八仙嶺
Pat Sin Leng
早至晚白堊世 Cretaceous Sedimentary Basins in NW NT
EARLY TO LATE
AP CHAU
CRETACEOUS (140-100 BASIN
Ma) Tai Pang
鴨洲 Wan Basin
Ap Chau

赤洲
Port Island Pat Sin Leng
Basin
廣東省河源 (160km)
Heyuan, Guangdong

(Source: Sewell et al., 2000)

始新世 Eocene(55 Ma) 更新世沉積環境

Depositional Environment of Pleistocene Sediments
在香港出露最年輕的岩層
Youngest rock formation in Hong
Kong

東平洲
Tung Ping Chau

780,000– 12000 years ago

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全新世沉積環境
Depositional Environment of Holocene Sediments Present-day Landscape

Since 12000 years ago to present

地球結構 Earth’s Internal Structure

板塊運動 Plate Tectonic 板塊運動 Plate Tectonic

• 板塊運動是現代地質學原理，解釋海洋盆
地和山脈的形成，以及相關的地震和火山
活動。

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Stratovolcano

Shield Volcano -
Mauna Lao, Hawaii

Mount Ngauruhoe, New Zealand

Photo courtesy: HVO, USGS

Cinder Cone (Scoria Cone) - Mauna

Kea Volcano, Hawaii

Mt St. Helens, USA

Photo courtesy: CVO, USGS
Photo courtesy: HVO, USGS

Lava Dome Caldera-type Volcano

Mt Showa Shinzan, Hokkaido, Japan

Photo courtesy: CVO, USGS

Mt St. Helens, USA

Lake Toba, Indonesia

Increasing viscosity

Decreasing ability to flow

Decreasing chance of bubble escape

Basalt Andesite Dacite Ryholite

52% 63% >69%
Increasing silica content Active lava flow, Hawaii, 2006 (source: Scienceblog.com/eruptions)

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Photo courtesy of Y H Lam

Photo taken on 10 April 2010
Photo courtesy: CVO, USGS
Eruption at Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland (Spring, 2010)
Eruption column (>30 km), Chaiten, Chile May 2008

(Source: http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/)

中侏羅紀至早白堊紀
Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous
Continental Volcano Trench
lithosphere

Eurasian Palaeo-Pacific
Plate Plate

Pyroclastic flow and its

deposits (ignimbrite)

Oceanic crust

Continental Magma chamber Oceanic

crust lithosphere
Magma source

Active Continental Margin

Photo courtesy: USGS (Sewell et al., 2009)

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破火山口型火山Caldera-type volcanoes
Southeast China Magmatic Belt
在中國東南部廣泛的火山爆發 波
Extensive volcanic eruptions in Ningbo
southeast China

門
廣州 Xiamen
Guangzho
u
香HK

海南
Hainan Lake Toba, Indonesia

Mount Ngauruhoe, New Zealand

(Source: Sewell et al., 2000)

4 Phases of Volcanic Activity in Hong Kong

Caldera-type Volcanic System
Lid on the cauldron = Crustal cap

164 m.y.
Cauldron = Caldera-type
volcanic system

140 m.y.

Fire = Heat Source from

deep within the Earth
146 m.y.
143 m.y.

Distribution of Volcanic Rocks in Hong Kong

VOLCANIC STRATIGRAPHY OF HONG KONG

4 major volcanic groups (17 formations)

Dominantly pyroclastic rocks with subordinate lavas

164 m.y. and volcaniclastic sediments

140 m.y. Formations lack lateral continuity

146 m.y.
Individual formations up to 100s of (+) meters thick
143 m.y.

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PYROCLASTIC ROCKS (TUFF)

• CRYSTALS AND CRYSTAL

FRAGMENTS
Based on
pyroclast • LITHIC (ROCK) FRAGMENTS
composition
• PUMICE AND GLASS

Crystal fragments in tuff (under petrographic microscope)

Rock fragments in tuff Rock fragments in tuff

Fiamme, eutaxitic fabric (foliation) Fresh pumice (Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand)

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Volcanic structures

Welding fabric (eutaxitic fabric and fiammes)

Flow fabric

Cooling joints

Bedding

Fiammes in tuff (under petrographic microscope)

Flow banding, Clear Water Bay Formation

Columnar (Cooling) Joints, High Island Tuff at Ninepin Islands

Characteristics of Volcanic Rocks in

Hong Kong

• Thick layers of tuff (pyroclastic rocks)

• Intermediate to silicic in composition
• Formed by explosive volcanic eruptions
in distinct phases

Tuffaceous Sedimentary Rocks at Lai Chi Chong

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LARGE SILICIC MAGMATIC SYSTEMS

Lava Dome
Tuff (Ignimbrite)

Country
Rocks
Magma Chamber Dykes

Mafic Magma

中生代火山岩及相關花崗質岩石
Mesozoic Volcanic and Associated Granitic Rocks

Volcanic rocks and sub-volcanic plutonic rocks

are related in:

• Age
• Composition and chemistry
• Petrography characteristics
• Structural control of distribution

Volcanic Rocks Granitoid Rocks

Group Formation Age (Ma) Suite Intrusion Age (Ma)

High Island 140.9 ± 0.2 Mount Bulter Granite

Clear Water Bay 140.7 ± 0.2 Kowloon Granite

Kau Sai 140.9

141.1
± 0.2
± 0.2
Lion Fan Lau Granite
Sok Kwu Wan Granite
140.4 ± 0.2

Chau Rock
Volcanic Suite Tei Tong Tsui Qz Monzonite 140
Tong Fuk Qz Monzonite
Group D’Aguilar Qz Monzonite 140.4 ± 0.3
140.6 ± 0.3
140.6 ± 0.3

Pang Long Wan 141.2 ± 0.3

Mount Davis 142.8 ± 0.2
Repulse Long Harbour 142.7 ± 0.2
Cheung Luk Keng Qz Monzonite

Bay 142.8 ± 0.2

Chau
Chi Ma Wan Granite

Volcanic
Mang Kung Uk
Che Kwu Shan 142.9 ± 0.2
Shui Chuen O Granite <143.7 ± 0.2
144.0 ± 0.3
143
Ap Lei Chau 142.5 ± 0.3
Suite
Group Ngo Mei Chau 142.7 ± 0.2
<143.7 ± 0.1

Shatin Granite 146.2 ± 0.2

Lantau Lai Chi Chong 146.6 ± 0.2 Kwai

East Lantau Ryholite
East Lantau Ryhodacite
146.3
146.5
± 0.3
± 0.2 148
Undifferentiated 146.6 ± 0.2 Needle Hill Granite 146.4 ± 0.2
Volcanic 147.5 ± 0.2 Chung Sham Chung Rhyolite 146.4 ± 0.2 -
Group Suite Po Toi Granite 146.5 ± 0.2
Shan Tei Tong Ryhodacite
South Lamma Granite
147.3
148.1
± 0.2
± 0.2
146
Tai Lam Granite 159.3 ± 0.3
Tsuen Tsing Shan Granite <159.6 ± 0.5 164
Wan Sai Lau Kong 164.1 ± 0.2
Lamma Chek Lap Kok Granite 160.4 ± 0.3

Volcanic
Tai Mo Shan
Shing Mun
<164.6 ± 0.7
164.2 ± 0.3 Suite
Chek Mun Rhyolite 160.8 ± 0.2
-
Group
Yim Tin Tsai
164.7 ± 0.3
164.5 ± 0.2
Lantau Granite
Tai Po Granodiorite
161.5 ± 0.2
<164.6 ± 0.2 160

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花崗閃長岩 花崗岩
。 Granite
Granodiorite

石英二長岩
Quartz Monzonite

Mafic dykes, Po Toi Island

Feldsparphyric rhyolite, northern Lantau

High Island Supervolcano

MAGMATIC EVOLUTION OF HONG KONG

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Petrographic Characteristics of
The High Island Caldera Ejected materials (volcanic
High Island Tuff ash) cool and solidify slowly
in the collapse caldera

The congee (magma)

remaining in the cauldron
also begins to cool.

Ancient Tilted Caldera System

Summary
• Hong Kong’s rocks record a 400-million year geological history
since the Devonian
• Tectonic settings and environments have changed through
geological time
• Explosive volcanic eruptions occurred at active plate margin
(some of supereruption scale) in late Mesozoic
• Volcanic rocks and granites were the products of large silicic
magmatic systems

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