Sprecher
Beschreibung
When looking at Earth history, there are four recognisable durations where resin production and preservation were greatly enhanced. These were the (1) Late Triassic (Carnian), (2) Cretaceous, (3) Eocene, and (4) Oligo-Miocene amber bursts. The rather short Carnian amber burst has been linked to the major climatic upheaval of the Carnian Pluvial Episode and its consequences for the terrestrial realm. Recently, numerous different factors have been put forward to explain the Cretaceous Period’s extensive richness in amber deposits. In contrast, the two younger amber bursts had not yet not been subjected to the same level of investigation. Here, we examine the Eocene amber burst in depth. During this ice-free epoch numerous deposits, including the largest in the world (Baltic amber), were formed. To understand what might underlie this resinous interval, we created a carefully scrutinised and curated database of 62 Eocene amber deposits in total, with many others having to be excluded on various grounds. We also collected additional geological and biological information on each in order to assess their depositional settings. We highlight issues that affect inferring large-scale dynamics or triggers such as potential prospecting and collection biases, and sometimes poor availability of dating and/or sedimentological information. Despite these issues, we show extensive distribution of amber deposits across most of the world, and through the whole of the Eocene, not linked to any particular climate event.