Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preparation of Amber Specimens Containing Fossils

  • Chapter
A Manual of Practical Laboratory and Field Techniques in Palaeobiology

Abstract

Fossilized tree resins range from the Carboniferous to Recent times. Deposits of fossil amber are known from the Lower Cretaceous to Early Tertiary times, and are generally products derived from the extinct conifer Pinus succinifera. The most famous deposits are from the Baltic, in which a renewed commercial interest has been shown following the opening-up of the Eastern Europe market and commercial access to localities of derived (allochthonous) deposits. The palaeobiological significance of amber deposits as a media for the exceptional preservation of a fossil assemblage (Fossil-Lagerstätten) has been briefly reviewed by Schlüter (1990), and appraised in popular fashion by Poinar and Poinar (1994).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • AZAR, D. 1997. A new method for extracting plant and insect fossils from Lebanese amber. Palaeontology. 40, (4), 1027–1029.

    Google Scholar 

  • CANNO, R, POINAR, H, ROUBIK, D. W and POINAR, Jr., G. O. 1992a. Enzymatic amplification and nucleotide sequencing of portions of the 18s rRNA gene of the bee Proplebeia dominicana (Apidae: Hymenoptera) in 25–40 million year old Dominican amber. Medical Science Research. 20, (7), 249–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • CANNO, R, POINAR, H. N and POINAR, Jr., G. O. 19926. Isolation and partial characterization of DNA from the bee Proplebeia dominicana (Apidae: Hymenoptera) in 25–40 million year old amber. Medical Science Research. 20, (17), 619–623.

    Google Scholar 

  • DESALLE, R, GATESY, J, WHEELER, W and GRIMALDI, D. 1992. DNA sequences from a fossil termite in OligoMiocene amber and phylogenetic implications. Science. 257, 1933–1936.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GALIPPE, V. 1920. Recherches sur la résistance des microzymas à l’action du temps et sur leur survivance dans l’ambre. Comptes Rendus de l’Académe des Sciences. Paris. 170. 856–868.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henwood, A. 1992. Exceptional preservation of dipteran flight muscle and TAPHONOMY of insects in amber. Palaios. 7, (2), 203–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LARSSON, S. G. 1978. Baltic amber–a palaeobiological study. Entomonograph. 1, 1–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • LICHTER, G. 1993. Fossil Collectors Handbook. Sterling (New York), 160p.

    Google Scholar 

  • PääBO, S. 1993. Ancient DNA. Scientific American. (November), 60–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, Jr., G. 0. 1982. Amber - true or false? Gems and Minerals. ( April, No. 534 ), 80–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, Jr., G. 0. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press (California). xiii + 350p.

    Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, Jr., G. O and HESS, R. 1982. Ultrastructure of 40-million-year-old insect tissue. Science. 215. 1241–1242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, Jr., G. O and POINAR, R. 1985. Preservative qualities of recent and fossil resins: electron micrograph studies on tissue in Baltic amber. Journal for Baltic Studies. 16, 222–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, Jr., G. O and Poinar, R. 1994. The quest for life in Amber. Addison-Wesley (Reading, Massachusetts). xiii + 219 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, Jr., G. O, Poinar, H. N and Canno, R. 1994. In; B Herrmann and S. Hummel (eds), Ancient DNA. Springer-Verlag (New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • POINAR, H. N, POINAR, Jr., G. O and CANNO, R. 1993. DNA from an extinct plant. Nature. 363, 677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, P. C. 1980. Amber: the golden gem of the ages. The Kosciuszko Foundation Inc., ( New York). x + 289 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHLüTER, T. 1990. Baltic amber, pp 294–297: In; D. E. G. Briggs and P. R. Crowther (eds), Palaeobiology–A synthesis. Blackwell Scientific Publications (Oxford). xii + 583 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • THOMAS, B. R. 1969. Kauri resins - modern and fossil, pp 599–618: In; G. Eglinton and M. T. J. Murphy (eds), Organic Geochemistry. Springer-Verlag (New York). 828 p.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Holt, Norfolk, UK

    Owen R. Green

Authors
  1. Owen R. Green
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2001 Owen R. Green

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Green, O.R. (2001). Preparation of Amber Specimens Containing Fossils. In: A Manual of Practical Laboratory and Field Techniques in Palaeobiology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0581-3_23

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0581-3_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4013-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0581-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation