ENG-2015 — Page 280

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The Environment

ranges for the Pearl River Delta region for up to 2020. The two sides have jointly embarked on a mid-term review to conclude the emission reduction results for 2015 and finalise the targets for 2020.

The Cleaner Production Partnership Programme encourages and helps Hong Kong-owned factories in Guangdong to adopt cleaner production technologies and practices. The two governments signed an agreement in November 2014 and also set up a Hong Kong- Guangdong Joint Working Group on Cleaner Production in February 2015 to strengthen co- operation in promoting cleaner production to enterprises in the region. By the end of 2015, more than 2,500 funding applications had been approved since the programme's launch in 2008. In addition, 247 enterprises held commendations under the Hong Kong-Guangdong Cleaner Production Partners Recognition Scheme, which recognises efforts to pursue cleaner production.

Hong Kong and Shenzhen are jointly implementing action programmes to protect the water quality of the adjoining waters, including Deep Bay and Mirs Bay. The two sides are conducting the second review of the joint programmes for Deep Bay to gauge their effectiveness and to draw up additional mitigation measures. Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Guangdong have assessed the pollution load-carrying capacity of the Pearl River Estuary to provide a scientific basis for water quality management of the estuary and are preparing a plan to enhance co- operation in protecting the estuary's water.

Physical Characteristics, Flora and Fauna

Topography, Geology and Landforms

Hong Kong's natural terrain is characterised by rugged uplands flanked by steep slopes. The highest point is Tai Mo Shan (957 metres above Principal Datum) in the central New Territories, and the lowest point (66 metres below Principal Datum) is in Lo Chau Mun (the Beaufort Channel) to the north of Po Toi Island. The mountains are predominantly formed of volcanic rocks, whereas the lower hills and low-lying areas are generally underlain by granite or sedimentary rocks. A layer of soft, weathered rock covers the bedrock in most places, slope debris mantles the natural hillsides, and alluvium fills many of the valleys. Offshore, the seabed is covered with marine mud, with sand sheets occurring near the coast and in channels.

The oldest exposed rocks were deposited as river sediments about 400 million years ago. From 350 to 290 million years ago, limestones (now marble) and siltstones, found in western and central New Territories accumulated in a shallow sea. From 170 to 140 million years ago, violent eruptions depositing thick ash layers occurred from several volcanic centres. Volcanism ended with a colossal eruption from the High Island Supervolcano centred in southeastern Hong Kong. Subsequent uplift and erosion have revealed a cross-section from the top of the supervolcano in Sai Kung to its underlying magma chamber in Kowloon and northern Hong Kong Island. Layered rocks seen on the island of Ping Chau are younger sediments, laid down in a lake on the edge of a desert about 50 million years ago.

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