A wealth of Cretaceous fossils from Burmese amber in Myanmar
May 7, 2019 7:51 AM Subscribe
The 3D reconstruction of a 99-million-year-old millipede discovered in Burmese amber allowed for the description of an entirely new suborder (Eurekalert), and is just one of the many exciting discoveries in Burmese amber. Burmese amber, mostly coming from the Hukawng Valley (Wikipedia) in Kachin State, northern Myanmar (formerly Burma), is valuable not only for understanding of the Myriapoda fossil record and historical biogeography (ZooKeys, open paper), but also including fantastic fossils of frogs (Nature Science Reports, open paper), bone and feathers from theropod wings (Nature Communications, open paper), a whole bird trapped in amber (National Geographic), and the previously discussed feathered tip of a dinosaur tail.
Why are there so many amber fossils found in Myanmar? (Quora)
The question isn't answered directly in the reply on Quora, but they provided a great link to a scientific article Fossiliferous Cretaceous Amber from Myanmar (Burma): Its Rediscovery, Biotic Diversity, and Paleontological Significance (PDF), and noted that the conifer Metasequoia (“dawn redwood” ; Wikipedia) is likely the genus whose resin preserved the fossils of the local insects and plants in Myanmar. The linked article notes that Burmese amber is also harder than amber from other regions, which allows it to "trimmed" and polished for increased visibility, without having the amber crack and crumble.
The reply also notes that Burmese amber is unique for its location in the world, being the most southerly of all major Cretaceous amber deposits (~12ºN), along with Lebanese amber deposits (10º-15ºN) (Emporia State University). They are examples of unusual local climates, with biota thriving in relative isolation from the rest of Asia. Other major Cretaceous amber deposits with paleolatitudes approximately near or below 40º are northern Spain (25–35ºN), Dominican Republic (~19ºN) (Wikipedia), and New Jersey (40ºN) (Wikipedia). In the U.S., amber is also found in Kansas (37°–40°N) (Emporia State University).
More northern deposits of amber are found in the Baltic region, with more than 90% of the world's amber comes from Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia (Wikipedia), and Denmark (~56°N) (Tappen Af Danmark, or The Top of Denmark).
Why are there so many amber fossils found in Myanmar? (Quora)
The question isn't answered directly in the reply on Quora, but they provided a great link to a scientific article Fossiliferous Cretaceous Amber from Myanmar (Burma): Its Rediscovery, Biotic Diversity, and Paleontological Significance (PDF), and noted that the conifer Metasequoia (“dawn redwood” ; Wikipedia) is likely the genus whose resin preserved the fossils of the local insects and plants in Myanmar. The linked article notes that Burmese amber is also harder than amber from other regions, which allows it to "trimmed" and polished for increased visibility, without having the amber crack and crumble.
The reply also notes that Burmese amber is unique for its location in the world, being the most southerly of all major Cretaceous amber deposits (~12ºN), along with Lebanese amber deposits (10º-15ºN) (Emporia State University). They are examples of unusual local climates, with biota thriving in relative isolation from the rest of Asia. Other major Cretaceous amber deposits with paleolatitudes approximately near or below 40º are northern Spain (25–35ºN), Dominican Republic (~19ºN) (Wikipedia), and New Jersey (40ºN) (Wikipedia). In the U.S., amber is also found in Kansas (37°–40°N) (Emporia State University).
More northern deposits of amber are found in the Baltic region, with more than 90% of the world's amber comes from Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia (Wikipedia), and Denmark (~56°N) (Tappen Af Danmark, or The Top of Denmark).
And you're also smaller than your older relatives, namely Arthropleura, who grew up to 2.3 metres (7.55 ft) in the late Carboniferous Period, and would have had few, if any, predators (scroll down, or click here for images of a model with people).
(During Carboniferous Period, the the atmospheric content of oxygen also reached its highest levels in geological history during the period, 35% compared with 21% today, allowing terrestrial invertebrates to evolve to great size.)
posted by filthy light thief at 8:18 AM on May 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
(During Carboniferous Period, the the atmospheric content of oxygen also reached its highest levels in geological history during the period, 35% compared with 21% today, allowing terrestrial invertebrates to evolve to great size.)
posted by filthy light thief at 8:18 AM on May 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by millipede at 7:56 AM on May 7, 2019 [4 favorites]