Amber is a fossilized plant resin, predominantly from coniferous trees, that has undergone polymerization and oxidation over millions of years to form a stable, amorphous solid. Chemically, it consists mainly of complex mixtures of labdane-type diterpenoid and triterpenoid compounds, including succinic acid in Baltic amber (succinite). It is characterized by low density, electrical insulating properties, and a glass transition behavior rather than a true melting point. Amber’s macromolecular network structure and inclusion-trapping capacity make it valuable in paleobiology, while its well-defined spectroscopic signatures (e.g., FTIR, Raman) are used to distinguish provenance and diagenetic history.
Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers report that fossilized entomopathogenic fungi from mid-Cretaceous amber reveal some of the oldest direct evidence of parasitic relationships between fungi and insects, suggesting that ...
Amber deposits found in ancient deep-sea sediment may represent one of the oldest records to date of a tsunami, suggests research published in Scientific Reports. The study describes large amber deposits discovered on Hokkaido ...
Earth Sciences
May 15, 2025
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