For the First Time, Researchers Discover Amber Fragments from a Sedimentary Basin Off the Coast of Antarctica.
The recent discovery has enabled researchers to obtain amber samples from every continent, allowing them to learn more about the Antarctic forests that once housed dinosaurs, according to a study published on November 12 in the journal Antarctic Science. The high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the Cretaceous period made the world warmer. Moreover, the absence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current resulted in greater climatic variations in Antarctica, enabling the growth of extensive forests that became habitats for both dinosaurs and mammals.
Amber fragment in Cretaceous lignite rock off the coast of Antarctica. (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute / V. Schumacher)
However, scientists have limited knowledge about the nature of these forests and the animals living within them due to the challenging access to fossil-bearing layers. One method employed is deep-sea drilling off the coast of Antarctica, led by Dr. Johann Klages from the Alfred Wegener Institute, who drilled off Pine Island in the Amundsen Sea. Within a 5 cm thick layer of lignite (wet coal), the research team found hardened tree resin known as amber. Based on the dating and composition of the lignite, this amber is estimated to be 83 to 92 million years old and originates from a swamp forest primarily composed of coniferous trees.
Many tree species secrete resin when their bark is damaged. Some types of resin, particularly from coniferous trees, fossilize under suitable conditions, preserving insects, fur, and even dinosaur tails. Researchers have previously obtained amber fossils from the same period in southern Australia, which was still connected to Antarctica at that time. Located near 74 degrees South latitude and 107 degrees West longitude, this new discovery marks the southernmost amber sample ever found.
“Analyzing these amber fragments will allow us to directly understand the environmental conditions prevalent in Southwest Antarctica 90 million years ago,” Klages stated. “Our current goal is to learn more about the forest ecosystem.”
The research team crushed the lignite for analysis, and the remaining amber pieces are very small, only about 0.5 to 1 mm wide, making the chance of finding any well-preserved life forms inside quite slim. However, experts discovered numerous tiny pieces of bark within the amber. According to Klages’ team, tree resin may have flowed out during wildfires, becoming preserved when water covered the area, thus protecting it from ultraviolet rays. The existence of the amber and its maintained clarity suggest it was never buried deeply and heated to the point of partial melting. The discovery location has prompted the research team to create a new category called Pine Island Amber.
