Teruel Amber (Escucha Fm. [El Regachuelo Mb.], Lower to Middle Albian [~114-106.7 ma])

“Teruel Amber”
Utrillas, Teruel Province, Spain
San Just Outcrop, Maestrat Basin
Escucha Fm. (El Regachuelo Mb.)
Lower to Middle Albian (~114-106.7 ma)

Specimen B: 1.7g / 21x17x12mm

Lighting:
140lm LED
 

Entry seven of ten, detailing various rare ambers from European, Asian, and North American localities.

In Spain, there are more than 100 localities of amber belonging to the Early Cretaceous, with several new localities having been discovered from 1997-2007; however, many of the occurrences are unconfirmed or were from coal mines that no longer exist. The first mention of cretaceous amber from Spain was made in 1762, where it was described as coming from Asturias, a small region in the northwestern portion of the country.

There are only seven localities that are described to contain biological inclusions, which localities form a curve that corresponds of the coastline of the Early Cretaceous seas; amber from Álava outcrops contains the highest number of arthropod inclusions, being dominated by the Diptera and Hymenoptera. The deposit richest in amber, also containing the best-preserved inclusions, is the San Just outcrop, located near Utrillas and Escucha (municipalities of Teruel); the San Just outcrop is part of the Escucha Fm., which is sub-divided into three Members: La Orden (upper), El Regachuelo (middle), and Barriada (lower). Amber is associated with coal, siltstone, and clay layers, and occurs in the middle and lower Members, but most frequently in the El Regachuelo. The age of the Escucha Fm. is based on the presence of the ammonite “Douvilleiceras monile”, and a higher concentration of spores than pollen grains.

Teruel amber is rich in kauranes (diterpenoid compound), with pimaric acid also being present, which indicates it was produced by a member of the Araucariaceae family, possibly by the genus Agathis. This amber shares a similar superficial appearance (color, pattern/flow, etc.) to that of amber from the Fouras Peninsula, in Charente-Maritime, France; the amber of that region was also likely produced by an araucarian, with some possible production by Podocarpaceae and Cheirolepidiaceae.

Sources:
“Fossiliferous amber deposits from the Cretaceous (Albian) of Spain”; Comptes Rendus Palevol, Vol. 6 (Issues 1-2), pp. 135-149; Delclòs, et. al. 2007

“A reassessment of the Cretaceous amber deposits from France and their palaeontological significance”; African Invertebrates, Vol. 48 (1); V. Perrichot 2007

“Gerromorphan bugs in Early Cretaceous French amber (Insecta: Heteroptera): first representatives of Gerridae and their phylogenetic and paleoecological implications.”; Cretaceous Research; V. Perrichot 2005