Fossil Resins Research Articles

The discovery of a fossil whitefly from Lower Lusatia (Germany) presents a challenge to current ideas about Baltic amber

The whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are small sternorrhynchan insects, which have the potential to cause significant economic damage to agricultural crops. There is a paucity of knowledge regarding the diversity, disparity, and evolutionary history of these insects, with classification based on the immatures, called puparia. The fossil record of whiteflies is sparse and incomplete, with the majority of fossils representing imaginal forms preserved as inclusions in fossilized resins. In this study, we present the first inclusion in succinite associated with the layers of Lower/Middle Miocene 2nd Lusatian Lignite Seam of Wanninchen in Brandenburg, Germany. The objective of the present study is to elaborate this fossil, and as a consequence, a new fossil genus and species, Pudrica christianottoi gen. et sp. nov., is described. This fossil is a representative of the subfamily Aleyrodinae, and it is the third fossil genus of this whitefly subfamily to be described. The discovery of the fossil inclusion in the succinite from the lignite deposits of Lower Lusatia challenges the current understanding of the character and conditions of formation and deposition of central and east European Paleogene fossil resins. Succinite is a fossil resin that occurs in the Eocene deposits of the Gulf of Gdańsk, belonging to the Prussian Formation, containing a glauconite-rich horizon known as the ‘Blue Earth’. Similarly, glauconite-rich deposits are present in the Lublin area of Poland, where they are associated with the occurrence of succinite. Additionally, succinite has been found in deposits in the Rovno-Zhitomir area of Ukraine, which are alluvial deposits containing glauconite and lignite layers. Succinite was also identified in Eocene strata of Spitsbergen and in Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian Arctic. Succinite has also been discovered in early Miocene deposits in Bitterfeld, Germany, where it occurs alongside lignite deposits (the deposit actually encompasses different fossil resins, so potentially originating from different source plants). Furthermore, it has been identified in younger (Pleistocene) deposits across Europe. The autochthonous (parautochthonous) character of the lignite deposits in Lower Lusatia raises questions regarding the time range of the succinite-producing gymnosperm trees and the autochthonous or allochthonous character of the lignite layers associated fossilized resins.

Мел-палеогеновые ископаемые смолы арктической части Дании (о. Гренландия)

The article presents modern outlook on overview of the current knowledge about the first findings of fossil resins in the Arctic territory of Denmark (Greenland). On the basis of obscure and fragmentary documents, the history of their study is briefly given, the primacy of researchers who mentioned fossil resins is noted, locations of fossil resins are given, and the level of their study is assessed. A comparative description of IR-spectra of cedarite (chemawinite), shrauphite, valhovite and resin from Hare Island is given. The similarity of the latter with cedarite is shown.

Armoured Lepidopteran Caterpillars Preserved in Non-Fossil Resins and What They Tell Us about the Fossil Preservation of Caterpillars.

Resin is a plastic-like product of trees. Older occurrences of such resin are referred to as amber and are considered fossil resin. Younger resins are termed copals. Even younger ones have been dubbed defaunation resins. Non-fossil resins remain in a terminological limbo, often referred to as "sub-fossils". We report two lepidopteran caterpillars preserved in non-fossil resin: one from Madagascar, one from Brazil. Prominent hairs (=setae) and spines (=spine-like setae) of the specimens make it likely that they represent larvae of Erebidae (e.g., tussock moths and others). So far, most known caterpillars preserved in resins are either "naked" or bear protective cases; only few are armoured with spines or hairs. In particular, long-haired caterpillars such as the ones reported here are so far almost absent. Only one specimen with comparable setae has been reported from 15-million-year-old Dominican amber, but no significant details of this specimen are accessible. We briefly also review the record of caterpillars known from the Holocene, recognising that it is very sparse. The new specimens demonstrate that very hairy caterpillars can readily be preserved in resins in fine detail. Furthermore, the specimens increase the known size range of caterpillars preserved in resins, with one measuring more than 12 mm.

Fossil resins of the arctic territories of Denmark, Canada, the USA and Norway: to the history of their study

The article presents a review of current knowledge about the first finds of fossil resins in the Arctic territories of Denmark, Canada, the USA and Norway. The history of their study is briefly given on the base of little-known and fragmentary multilingual documents, the primacy of researchers who mentioned fossil resins is noted, location of their occurrences and varieties of fossil resins are given, and the level of their study is assessed. M.D. Levashov is the author of the first written mention of fossil resins in the territory of the foreign Arctic. Information about the findings of fossil resins in the foreign Arctic allows expanding the existing database on resins, and an in-depth study of their physic-chemical characteristics and formation conditions will help clarify the classification features of fossil resins.

Epoxidized technical Kraft lignin as a particulate resin component for high-performance anticorrosive coatings

AbstractDeterioration of steel infrastructures is often caused by corrosive substances. In harsh conditions, the protection against corrosion is provided by high-performance coatings. The major challenge in this field is to find replacements for the fossil-based resins constituting anticorrosive coatings, due to increasing needs to synthesize new environmentally friendly materials. In this study, softwood Kraft lignin was epoxidized with the aim of obtaining a renewable resin for anticorrosive coatings. The reaction resulted in the formation of heterogeneous, solid, coarse agglomerates. Therefore, the synthetized lignin particles were mechanically ground and sieved to break up the agglomerates and obtain a fine powder. To reduce the use of fossil fuel-based epoxy novolac resins in commercial anticorrosive coatings, a series of formulations were prepared and cured on steel panels varying the content of epoxidized lignin resin. Epoxidized lignin-based coatings used in conjunction with conventional epoxy novolac resin demonstrated improved performance in terms of corrosion protection and adhesion properties, as measured by salt spray exposure and pull-off adhesion test, respectively. In addition, the importance of size fractionation for the homogeneity of the final coating formulations was highlighted. The findings from this study suggest a promising route to develop high-performing lignin-based anticorrosive coatings.

Analysis of Mexican Amber and Natural Resins Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy

Amber is a semi-precious gemstone, it is a natural resin formed as a fossil and consists of labdanoid diterpenes. This study involves a compositional analysis of Mexican amber using FTIR Spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy, comparing it with resins mixed with sulphur, copal, and rosin, to determine the main spectral features of Mexican amber and identify differences from other fake amber resins. Samples of yellow, red, and green amber were utilised. The equipment used included an ATR FTIR spectrometer and a Raman spectrometer with a 785 nm laser source. In the FTIR analysis, the results reveal that the colour variations in Mexican amber do not reflect structural differences. The ester group is identified in amber through the C=O carbonyl bond at 1727 cm-1, confirmed by a band at 1243 cm-1 and a set of bands between 1200-1060 cm-1 corresponding to C-O-H and O-C-C bonds, respectively. The range between 1000-600 cm-1 is identified as the most crucial for distinguishing authentic amber and determining whether the resin is young or fossilised. In Raman, the main peaks to identify amber are at 1646 cm-1 and 1450 cm-1 with which the ratio of intensities was quantified to determine the maturity of the fossil resin.

Qualitative Analysis of Baltic Amber Resin by Gas Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry and the Therapeutic Potential of this Fossil Resin

Qualitative Analysis of Baltic Amber Resin by Gas Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry and the Therapeutic Potential of this Fossil Resin

A new species of Eocene whiteflySnotra herczeki sp. nov. (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae) from Baltic amber.

The second species of the Aleyrodinae whitefly genus Snotra Szwedo et Drohojowska, 2016 is described based on an inclusion in the Eocene Baltic amber. It is second species of the genus, adding new data to knowledge on disparity and taxonomic diversity of whiteflies in the Eocene Baltic amber. The diversity of the group and its fossil record in the Eocene fossil resins is briefly discussed.

A new fossil species and new record of Atomaria Stephens (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) from Eocene Baltic amber.

Based on well-preserved specimen in Eocene Baltic amber, Atomaria (Anchicera) propinqua sp. nov. is described and illustrated. It is the sixth fossil species of Atomaria Stephens, 1829 reported from fossil resins. In addition, a new fossil record of A. (Anchicera) alekseevi Lyubarsky et Bukejs, 2022 from Baltic amber is presented.

New record of Libanochlites neocomicus Brundin, 1976 from the lower Barremian amber outcrop of Bqaatouta, Lebanon

Amber, dubbed by Ross (1998, 2010) as a “natural time capsule”, is a fossil resin renowned for its remarkable preservation fidelity of biological inclusions. Its unique property to capture organisms in pristine condition has offered scientists the opportunity to access to some minute details permitting as such to better evaluate the evolutionary stages of different animal and vegetal groups, and to open a portal to past environments and ecological dynamics of early periods in the natural history of the Earth (Azar et al., 2010).

Dating Amber: Review and Perspective

Amber is a fossilized tree resin that ranges in age from the Carboniferous to the Cenozoic. It occurs globally from the Arctic to Antarctica. As the resin petrifies and turns into amber, it can enclose and preserve other materials. Amber with inclusions can help reconstruct past biodiversity and ecosystems. Some amber contains fossils representing the oldest and most detailed records of critical evolutionary traits or markers. Inclusions can even capture behavioral indicators previously only observed in extant organisms. Evidence of insect pollination of flowering plants and dragonfly mating behavior appears in amber, as does the morphological specialization of insects, indicating sociality and social parasitism. Dating amber deposits can help calibrate evolutionary events and inform reconstructions of past ecosystems. While the direct dating of amber remains impossible, age constraints on most amber deposits are based on correlations or relative dating, methods that come with significant uncertainties. This study discusses two cases using 40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb geochronologic methods to constrain the ages of amber deposits in China and the paleo-ecosystems they record. This paper also summarizes how radio-isotopic dating and other techniques combined with the analysis of inclusions in amber can help elucidate biogeography and the dynamic relationship between life and the physical environment.

Ископаемые смолы Аляски: история изучения

The article reviewes the current state of knowledge of fossil resin finds in Alaska (USA). On the basis of little-known and fragmentary documents found in both Russian and foreign scientific literature, their main locations are briefly described. The primacy of Russian researchers mentioning fossil resins of coastal regions of Alaska is noted. Their level of study is evaluated. Information on fossil resin finds from Alaska can expand the existing resin database, and an advanced study of their physical and chemical characteristics and formation conditions will help to refine the classification attributes of fossil resins, and may also provide additional opportunities for solving palaeobotanical and paleogeographic problems when comparing northeastern Russia and Alaska.

New records of the subgenus Atomaria (Anchicera) Thomson, 1863 from European amber with description of the new species

ABSTRACT One new extinct species of the genus Atomaria Stephens, 1829 is described and illustrated: A. (Anchicera) telnovi sp. nov. from Rovno amber. It is the sixth species of the subgenus Anchicera in Eocene amber; two-thirds of all species and two-thirds of all reported Eocene amber silken fungus beetle specimens belong to this subgenus. The reasons for the relative abundance of Anchicera in the Eocene fossil resins are discussed. A key to extinct Eocene species of Atomaria is provided.

A Comment on: An Eocene army ant (2022) by Sosiak CE et al.

A Comment on: An Eocene army ant (2022) by Sosiak CE et al.

Comparative metabolomic reveals chemotaxonomic markers of resin fossils for identification of botanical origins

Fossil resins are often used to indicate the botanical origins of ancient plants through their secondary metabolites. However, the existing chemotaxonomy of fossil resins is limited in its ability to distinguish them at phylum, family, and genus levels using small amount of samples. Herein an advanced head-space solid phase microextraction- comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography- time-of-flight mass spectrometer platform was established to analyze the complex compositions of resin fossils derived from ancient gymnosperms (e.g., Eocene Cupressaceae, Cretaceous Araucariaceae) and angiosperms (Miocene Dipterocarpaceae and Miocene Hymenaea). The secondary metabolites including 83 monoterpenes, 186 sesquiterpenes, 84 diterpenes, and 43 n-alkanes were annotated and then chemically fingerprinted for the first time. Prior to conducting chemical composition classification, this study tested the vitrinite reflectance of resin-bearing rocks and Tmax of the ambers to demonstrate their similar thermal maturity. After that, chemotaxonomic markers were disclosed using multivariate statistical analysis to identify the botanical origins of resin fossils, and four identification rules were concluded. Gymnosperm and angiosperm resins can be distinguished by the relative content of monoterpenes and diterpenes. Eocene Cupressaceae and Cretaceous Araucariaceae resins can be identified by ten chemotaxonomic markers which were screened out by orthogonal partial least-squares regression. Miocene Hymenaea and Dipterocarpaceae resins have different combinations of chemical superclasses, with sesqui- and di-terpenes being the major compositions of Hymenaea resins, and mono- and sesqui- terpenes accounting for most of the compositions of Dipterocarpaceae resins. Specific chemotaxonomic markers can identify Hymenaea mexicana and Hymenaea protera resins. As the chemical components of fossil resins were determined by the genes present in their botanical origins, the chemotaxonomic markers revealed in this study have a genetic basis. These findings provide a comprehensive database of secondary metabolites from ancient resin plants, which can be utilized for further research on their corresponding paleoenvironment and to clarify their phylogeny.

Varieties of Fossil Resins of the Western Central Asia and Their Molecular Structure

Varieties of Fossil Resins of the Western Central Asia and Their Molecular Structure

Emanuel Bořický – petrograf, mineralog a kustod Musea království Českého

Emanuel Bořický (*11 December 1840 Milín, †27 January 1881 Prague) was a prominent Czech petrologist and mineralogist, professor at Charles University in Prague and custodian of the mineralogical collections of the National Museum in Prague. Ha was the first in Bohemia who systematically used a petrological microscope in his work. He was the first in the world to introduce the methods of microchemistry into petrology. He published about 100 scientific articles, short communications and monographs. As a mineralogist, he mainly devoted his career to chemical analyzes of minerals. He recognized then new minerals as zepharovichite (today wavellite), uranotile (today uranophane), přílepite (fossil resin) and parankerite (Fe-dolomite). In 1868, James Dwight Dana named the mineral borickite (bořickýite, now delvauxite) in his honor. He published four extensive studies: on Czech basalts (1873), phonolites (1874), melaphyres (1876) and porphyrites (1881). He published his method of microchemical determination of rock-forming minerals in 1877.

Varieties of Fossil Resins of the West Central Asia and Features of Their Molecular Structure

This article provides the first modern overview of fossil resin finds in West Central Asia – far beyond the traditional resin-bearing areas, both in Russia and in northern Western Europe. Based on little-known facts and random references scattered in the geological literature, the main locations of fossil resins have been revisited and described, and the level of their study has been assessed. Peculiarities of molecular structure of fossil resins of Priaralie using IR spectroscopy has been studied for the first time. It is shown that the resins of this region, previously described as amber (in modern understanding – succinite), are not such, but are represented by exclusively fragile varieties – retinite, gedanite and do not represent practical interest as jeweller raw material.

A Comparative Study Between Froth Flotation And Gravity Separation Method To Recover Fossil Resins From Bukan Kwato Coal, Lafia, Nassarawa State, Nigeria

Background: Fossil resins are sticky plants secretions that harden on atmospheric exposure overtime, and has been found within coal and other sedimentary rocks. They are formed tens of millions of years ago through the diagenetic or catagenic transformations of plant exudates induced by various geochemical processes. The recovery of fossil resins from Bukan Kwato using froth flotation method and gravity separation method is the focus of this research. Results: The two methods were then compared in order to see which has the highest recovery. The obtained samples were analyzed using sieve analysis. It was also analyzed using XRF analysis which reveals that the samples have 2.09% of carbon and 2.72% of sulphur from froth flotation method. It also has 2.08% of carbon and 2.41% of sulphur from gravity separation method. Conclusively: it was observed that froth flotation method has the highest recovery and is more efficient.

Two new fossil species of the genus Atomaria Stephens (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) from Eocene European amber with a key to species described from fossil resins

Two new extinct species of the genus Atomaria Stephens, 1829 are described and illustrated: A. (Anchicera) alekseevi sp. nov. from Baltic amber and A. (Anchicera) perkovskyi sp. nov. from Rovno amber. A key to extinct Eocene species of Atomaria is provided.