Imagine stepping into a time machine and traveling back to the age of dinosaurs. You find yourself surrounded by a lush, swampy forest, buzzing insects flitting between flowers, ferns, and towering conifers.
Believe it or not, you’re in what is now West Antarctica.
For the first time, scientists from Germany and the UK have discovered amber in Antarctica—fossilized resin from conifer trees that once thrived on Earth’s southernmost continent around 83 to 92 million years ago. This amber, along with other fossils such as roots, pollen, and spores, provides compelling evidence that a swampy, rainforest-like environment existed near the South Pole during the mid-Cretaceous period.
The discovery paints a picture of a forest dominated by conifers, similar to modern-day forests in New Zealand and Patagonia. The amber found in Antarctica adds to the growing evidence of a warm, wet climate on the continent millions of years ago, with conditions suitable for resin-producing trees.
Artist’s reconstructions suggest that this environment was not only rich in plant life but also had to endure months of total darkness during the Antarctic winter. Despite these harsh conditions, the trees adapted, possibly going dormant for long periods, yet managed to survive.
Prior to this groundbreaking discovery, Cretaceous amber had only been found as far south as the Otway Basin in Australia and the Tupuangi Formation in New Zealand. "It was thrilling to realize that all seven continents once had climates conducive to the survival of resin-producing trees," said Johann Klages, a marine geologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.
The discovery also opens the door for more research into this ancient forest ecosystem. "Our next goal is to learn more about whether this forest burned down and to explore the possibility of finding traces of life preserved in the amber," Klages added. "This finding gives us a direct glimpse into the past."
While fossilized wood and leaves have been found in Antarctica since the early 1800s, many of these fossils date back to a time when the supercontinent Gondwana existed. As Antarctica drifted toward the South Pole, much of its past forest history remained a mystery. However, in 2017, researchers began drilling into the seafloor near West Antarctica and uncovered well-preserved evidence of these ancient habitats.
After years of detailed analysis, Klages and his team announced in 2020 the discovery of fossilized roots dating back to the mid-Cretaceous. Along with pollen and spores, they found clues to the presence of resin-producing trees, which have now been confirmed through the amber discovery.
In a layer of mudstone about three meters (10 feet) deep, the team uncovered tiny amber fragments ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 millimeters in size. These pieces exhibit yellow to orange hues with typical scalloped fractures, indicative of resin flow. Resin leaks out of trees as a defense mechanism, sealing wounds caused by insects or fires.
The Cretaceous period was one of Earth’s warmest times, and fossilized volcanic deposits in Antarctica and nearby islands suggest that frequent forest fires were common. The amber was likely preserved due to high water levels that rapidly covered the tree resin, protecting it from UV radiation and oxidation.
Some of the amber samples even appear to contain tiny fragments of tree bark, though further analysis is needed to confirm this. Piece by piece, scientists are uncovering more details about the ancient forests of Antarctica and how they functioned 90 million years ago.
0 Comments