German and British scientists from the University of Bremen discovered amber in Antarctica. Information about the study was published in the journal Antarctica Science.
The amber fragments were found in a core that was at the bottom of the Amundsen Sea at a depth of 946 meters and was recovered in 2017.
So far, the southernmost finds of amber date back to the mid-Cretaceous period and were found in the Otway Basin of southern Australia.
“Along with fossil roots, pollen and spores, amber provides some of the best evidence to date that a tropical swamp forest existed in the South Pole region during the mid-Cretaceous period (about 83-92 million years ago). years), and that in this prehistoric environment “coniferous trees predominated, “similar to the forests of New Zealand and Patagonia today”, – says the publication.
It is also clarified that traces of pathological resin flow were discovered, as occurs, for example, during fires or parasite invasions, thus protecting trees from the aggressive influence of the environment.
“It was very exciting to realize that at some point in history, all seven continents had climatic conditions that allowed resin-producing trees to survive.” – noted the marine geologist johann klages from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.
Scientists are now interested in learning more about the ancient forest ecosystem, as the discovery allows them to “take another, more direct route into the past.”
The discovered amber is direct evidence that resin-producing trees once existed in Antarctica.
