Amber with Plant Inclusions. Burmite. Cretaceous. Hukawng Valley, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar. ...

Description

Amber

Amber with Plant Inclusions
Burmite
Cretaceous
Hukawng Valley, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar

Burmite Amber can often be, geologically, much older than other varieties, such as Dominican and Baltic examples, which becomes especially important given that this material can date back to the Mesozoic, specifically, the Cretaceous Period. This specimen, weighing just shy of a gram, contains an amazing inclusion of a fossil flower of the Eophylica priscastellata variety, which is a key fossil in our understanding of the diversification of the angiosperms ("flowering plants"), as such plants do provide evidence that this major episode in the transformation of the global ecosystem took place much earlier than first thought. While this preserved fossil in Amber dates back some 99 million years, the inhabitants form is nearly identical to an extant plant genus, making this specimen quite compelling. The item is very alluring, with an obvious natural beauty and exquisite 3-dimensional preservation. The rapid radiation of the angiosperms in terms of replacing the gymnosperms has fascinated biologists, with even legendary Charles Darwin referring to the phenomenon as an 'abominable mystery' of which this offering can help tell the story. Interestingly, frequent wildfires during the Cretaceous Period factored into these plants, which were adapted to survive the environment at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Such varieties have not changed notably in 100 million years of evolution. Clearly, that was not the case with the Dinosaurs!
Measurements: 0.80 x 0.48 x 0.22 inches (2.02 x 1.21 x 0.57 cm)



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