Analytical approaches for studies of fossil resins

Abstract

Knowledge on fossil resins (including amber and all their various types) has started to develop significantly since the second half of the 20th century mainly due to advancement of analytical methods and equipment. Nowadays, many researchers are focused on investigation of the resins due to not only their decorative appearance and its utilization in jewelry but also unique physicochemical features which are not fully explore yet. Some of those features may have a health benefit for human body. The fossil resins are organic material with polymeric nature, very similar in appearance to artificial or natural plant resin. Hence, the fossil resins are often adulterated with the modern resin. Moreover, some very rare and precious fossil resin specimens are imitated by more abundant, cheaper fossil specimen (for example succinite – Baltic amber is often imitated by copal). Therefore, there is a need to characterize these materials and find unique physicochemical features that allow to identify and classify them. Additionally, physicochemical characterization of fossil resins may also discover serendipitously some information about plant and animal evolution, climate change, geological and environment conditions in the past. In this paper, authors review various approaches for characterization, classification of the fossils, finding their provenance, origin and adulteration.