AMBER RETURNS AS A RELIC OF THE YEAR

A representative mineral exhibition on amber was the main theme of the exhibition at the University of Miskolc during the 20th Miskolc International Mineral Festival in 2002. After two decades, the fossil is again in the spotlight: amber has been named the Palaeontological Fossil of the Year, and will be the subject of a representative exhibition at the 39th Miskolc International Mineral Festival from 11-12 March.

It is not a misnomer that the Palaeolith of the Year is amber; this material is not a member of the mineral kingdom due to its lack of space lattice structure and distinct chemical composition. However, as it is a fossilized pine resin, it can be considered as a fossil.

Ajkait, an amber from Ajka, Hungary

Which is the right term: amber or amber stone? Both can be used, but the term amber is more precise in that it clearly distinguishes the fossil pine resin from the plant genus Hedera.

The oldest and best known of the fossil resins is Baltic amber, which formed in the Tertiary Period (22–40 million years ago) from the resin of an ancient pine (Pinus succinifer). Its colour is mostly honey yellow, brownish yellow or orange.

Amber has been observed at several sites in Hungary. The most important of these is the Upper Cretaceous, about 83 million years old – considerably older than Baltic amber – extracted from the Ajka coal deposit. It is slightly darker and often has a reddish tinge.

The 39th Miskolc International Minerals Festival will feature a very high quality amber exhibition from the collection of Stone-gem Ltd. in Budapest.