Abstract
The amber-bearing coaly shale from the La Cumbre deposit (Cordillera Septentrional, Dominican Republic) contains a large quantity of altered, coalified plant detritus. The coals in these shales are in the transition stage from meta-lignite to subbituminous coals. They are composed mainly of inertinite macerals such as fusinite, semifusinite, macrinite and secretinite. Fossil resin found in the deposit occurs in two forms: detrital grains up to several centimetres in size (type I) and very fine authigenic grains, of a few micrometers in size, inside the humic laminae (type II, resinite). The detrital fossil resins are transparent, with few mineral and organic inclusions. In their composition they contain sulfides, which may come from sulfate reduction, inclusions of plants and/or insects or be caused by volcanic activity developed in surrounding coal series. The resinites are strongly saturated with various inclusions and spatially associated with framboidal pyrite aggregates. Both fossil resin types were probably deposited in a shallow coastal lake environment in the zone bordering the floodplain of the river, with periodic floods. The marine environment conditions, which were progressively changing from oxidizing to reducing, are likely associated with the formation of the fossil resin.
Highlights
Occurring fossil resins are caustobioliths, organic sediments of plant origin [1]
The results indicate the transition environment between limnic and swamp zones
Products were found that formed as a result of chemical sedimentation, such as calcite accompanied by rosette clusters of gypsum
Summary
Occurring fossil resins are caustobioliths, organic sediments of plant origin [1] They are products of the vital processes in various species of angiosperm and gymnosperm taxa and play a crucial. The resins harden, due to the gradual polymerization of their chemical compounds [3] Their further changes are the result of environmental factors, including climate and biosphere activities, and of geological processes such as volcanism and postmagmatic hydrothermal activity [2,4]. These factors have a significant influence on the chemical composition of resin. It is well known that all the changes resin undergoes are recorded in its chemical structure, regardless of the botanical source (resinous species) [2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10]
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