МИНЕРАЛОГИЯ ИСКОПАЕМЫХ СМОЛ СЕВЕРНОЙ ЕВРАЗИИ

Abstract

Investigations was focused upon diagnostics and study of genesis of fossil resins from Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary sediments of North Eurasia on the base of detailed estimation of their physical and chemical characteristics: morphology, sizes, mass, density, optic, mechanical and thermal properties, elementary chemical compositions, etc. Constitution of amorphous organic minerals with polymeric structure, fossil resins including, allows to recommend for these purposes IR-spcctromctry, method of electronic paramagnetic resonance, deriva-togrphy at low rates of heating, X-ray structural analysis, chemical analysis, emission spectrometry, etc. Results of investigation summarized for Baltic-Dnieper, North Sibirian and Far Eastern amber-bearing provinces show some similarity between different kinds of fossil resins and a lot of distinctive peculiarities of resins in each province. Resins of the Baltic-Dnieper province should be definitely determined as the amber (succinite) - as their variety most widespread in North and East Europe. Amber-like fossil resins of North Siberian and Far Eastern provinces haven't any significant similarity with succinite; they are represented mainly by fragile resins - reti-nite and gedanitc, without jewelry value. In Far Eastern province (namely, Sakhalin cost), there is widespread the viscous fossil resin - rumanitc, possessing rather high utility potential.