Sukabumi Fossil

Amber is organic resin or “tree sap”. It is often found in layers, pods and lenses often associated with coal seams. The major coal deposits of the earth were formed during periods when the earth’s temperatures were warmer than today’s. These were periods of explosive organic growth. As Amber forms, it grades from tree sap to copal and then amber by a natural slow cooking process. Copal is an immature form of Amber. It is still volatile-rich and sticky. Sort of like an uncooked cheese soufflé. As you cook it and the oils move out, it dries, thickens and hardens. It is a gradual process. At the point you unearth the material it could be at any stage of the process as geological time is measured in millions of years. The temperature and pressure during burial in a rock formation also played a role in the maturity of the resin products we find on the Earth’s surface today. Most documented Amber deposits were formed within the last 90 million years. Amber a...