Reveals many secrets: amber was first found in Antarctica, it is 90 million years old and
Kyiv • UNN
Scientists have discovered amber for the first time in Antarctica at a depth of almost a kilometer. The discovery proves the existence of tropical forests on the continent 90 million years ago and reveals the secrets of the Earth's ancient climate.
The presence of amber in Antarctica proves that in the middle of the Cretaceous period, temperate rainforests existed on every continent.The new discovery has filled a large gap in the global map of amber finds: for the first time it was found in Antarctica, according to Interesting Engineering, writes UNN.
Details
It is noted that this discovery, made by scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Technical University of Freiberg Mining Academy, provides a rare opportunity to look into the prehistoric environment of Antarctica. It shows that lush swampy forests and resin-producing trees once grew on the site of the ice kingdom.
The study estimates that the age of the “Pine Island Amber” is about 90 million years.
Amber recovered from Pine Island Bay provides a unique snapshot of life in prehistoric Antarctica. The research team led by Dr. Johann P. Klages and Dr. Henny Herschel used the MARUM-MeBo70 drilling rig to recover the sediment core from nearly a kilometer deep.
The amber fragments, although small - each about a millimeter in diameter - were full of valuable information, including micro-inclusions that probably contained ancient tree bark.
The analyzed amber fragments provide a clear understanding of the environmental conditions that prevailed in West Antarctica 90 million years ago,
The scientists noted that this was once a green continent, which is very different from today's frozen landscape.
Our goal now is to learn more about the forest ecosystem - if it burned down, can we find traces of life incorporated into the amber. This discovery makes it possible to travel back in time,
The researchers found evidence of abnormal resin flow, a defense mechanism that trees use to protect themselves from injury, infection, or forest fires. This amber has preserved traces of resin produced by trees as a protective barrier, suggesting that the forest had burned or been destroyed by parasites.
In addition, the amber's hard, transparent, and largely intact quality suggests that it was buried close to the Earth's surface, rather than deep underground where heat and pressure would likely have destroyed it.
The discovery of amber from Pine Island is not just an exciting find; it is a significant piece of the geological and environmental puzzle that is reconstructing the history of the Earth's climate. The presence of amber in Antarctica adds to the growing body of evidence that temperate rainforests existed on every continent in the mid-Cretaceous period.
This discovery of Antarctic amber opens a unique window into an era when lush forests extended southward to the polar regions, supporting a much warmer global climate.
By continuing to study these ancient amber fragments, scientists hope to uncover new secrets of the past: from the diversity of forest life to specific events, such as fires or insect invasions, that shaped the landscape.
