Rivista ltaliana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia volume 104 numero 3 tavole 1 pagine 381-390 15 Dicembre 1998 UPPER TRIASSIC AMBER FROM THE DOLOMITES (NORTHERN ITALY). A PALEOCLIMATIC INDICATOR? PIERO GIANOLLA*, EUGENIO F*AGAZZI** & GUIDO ROGHI* Receioed March 4, 1998; accepted may 20, 1998 Key-aords: Amber, Upper Triassic, Dolomites, Infrared spec- troscopy, Palynolo gy, Paleoclimate. Riassunta. In strati terrigeno-carbonatici della Formazione di Dùrrenstein delle Dolomiti è stata rinvenuta ambra sotto forma di goc- cioline di coiore giallo-rossastro. Ii ritrovamento di ammonoidi e di palinomorfi permette di assegnare l'età dell'ambra al più alto Julico, in prossimità del limite con il Tuvalico (cìrca 225 Ma). Sono state deter- mìnate le caratteristiche fisico-chimiche dell'ambra; la spettroscopia alf infrarosso (IR) evidenzia ie tipiche bande delle resine fossili. Larea caratterizzante dello spettro mostra peculiarità riferibili ad un'unica specie, diverse da quelle delle resìne {ossili conosciute. La grande ab- bondanza dì microspore teniate bisaccate, nei campionì contenenti am- bra (41olo), suggerisce una relazione con la specie produttrice di resina, probabilmente una conifera. Oltre a que11i delle Dolomiti, sono noti ritrovamenti di ambra anche nel Triassico superiore della Svìzzera, del- le Alpi Calcaree Settentrionali e dell'Arizona. La sostanziale isocronia delf intervallo stratigrafico in cui è stata trovata I'ambra e la costanza delle caratteristiche paleoambientali dei siti (fluviale, manno màrgrna- le) suggerisce una possibile relazione tra la produzione e conservazlo- ne dell'ambra e un evento climatico umido verificatosi in tali reeioni durante il Carnrco, al pass,rggro tr.r Julico e Tuv:rlrco. Abstract. Amber in Triassic deposits in the Dolomites is de- monstrated for the first time. The amber-bearing deposits beiong to the middle part of the Diirrenstein Formation, referred to uppermost Julian (Lower Carnian, about 225 My). Chemico-physical features of amber, which occurs as small yellow to reddish droplets, have been determined. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy shows typical bands of fossil resins; the "fingerprint" region of the spectrum presents a unrque prttern th.rt cannot be referred to any other known fossil resin. Palynological investigation of amber-bearing layers shows a large pre- valence of bisaccates and circumpolles. Particularly, the tàeniate bisac- cates are frequent (+lV") and suggest a correlation with the amber- producing species. Amber production and preservation is possibly re- lated to a humid climatic event. lntroduction. In the past, IJpper Triassic amber has only been reported in Northern Calcareous Alps (Pichler, 1868; Yavra, 1984; Poinar et a1., 1,993), rn Switzerland (Soom, 1984) and in Ari- zona (Lits/in & Ash, 1991). As far as we know, amber has never been described in Triassic de- posits in Ita1y, except for a generic mention of "fossil resin" by Zardini (1973). In the present study, we report the occurrence of amber in the Dùrrenstein Formation in the Dolomites (Fig. 1). The age of the amber-bearing rocks is latest Julian (early Carnian). Since amber can embed and preserve organisms, such as arthropods and soft-body animals, as well as parts of plants and pollen, it provides a reiiabie tool for paleontolo- gical studies. The possibility of preserving nu- Location map of Upper Triassic amber investiga- ted in the present study. '. Deprrtment of Geology, Paleontology and Geophysics, University of Padova, via Giotto I,35137 Pado".r (Itrly) E-meil : piero@geol.unipd.it 'r'f Depanment of Pharmacologn University of Padova, Italy 382 P. Gianolla, E. Ragazzi & G. Roghi SANTA CROCE / HEILIGKREUZ SECTION z J l F limestones and biocalcarenites dolomites siltstones and marls sandslones conglomerates unconformity stromatolite cross bedding oolite ammonoid palynomorph z I l --) Fig.2 - Stratigraphic section of the Dùrrenstein Formation at San- ta CrocelHeiligkreuz (Badia/Abtei Valley). cleic acids and other organic molecules is still a matrer of debate (Brown & Brown, 1,994; Cano, 1996; Austin et al., 1997). Occurrence of Triassic amber. Triassic amber was first collected ín 1823 in the fossil plant-bearing beds in the Schilfsandstein ar Neuewelt, near Basei. The sample was described by Soom (1984) and is kept at the Museum of Natural Hi- story in Basel. The Schilfsandstein is a fluvial deposit, widespread throughout continental Europe, that deeply cuts the underlying sequences (Aigner & Bachmann, 1992). A re-interpretation of palynological data by Le- schik in Krausel & Leschik (1.956) and Scheuring (1970), suggests a latest Julian age for the amber-bearing layers. The first pubiished reporr on Triassic fossil resin is by Pichier (1868), who described smal1 resin droplets in the "oberen Schichten der Cardita crenata" of Ko- T;--n tv I I llr:fi r-r--J l/l -7 -7-l - tr--ltl |; -;l l-" Ò l ,- t\ e, o chental (Tyrol, Austria). The author gave this resin rhe name "Kochenit" and produced a complete chemico- physical analysis. The fossil plant-bearing beds belong to the 1st shale (|erz, 1966; R. Brandner, pers. comm.) of the Raibler Schichten in the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA), which typically includes importanr plant re- mains associated with coal layers. As far as 'w"e know, these amber-containing levels correspond to those in Mt. Leitnermoos, near Schliersee (Bavaria, Germany), in which amber collected and studied by Poinar et a1. (1993) was found. The amber-bearing beds were deposi- ted in a marginal t'luvial environmenr (Bechstadt & Schweizer, 1991). According to Kavary (1966, 1972) and Jelen & Kusej (1982), these beds are Julian in age. As the 1st shale of the Raibler Schichten bears Carnites flo. ridus (WuIfen) and a microflora including Patrnaspontes justusKlaus, in our opinion its age is latest Juiian. Triassic amber was also reporred near Lunz (Nie- derósterreich, Austria) by Sigmund in 1937 (quoted by Yàvra,7984) and was named "Copalin". The amber-con- taining strata belong to the Lunzerschichten, interpreted as pro-delta and delta deposits (Tollmann, 1976), drec- tly correlated to the Schilfsandstein (Behrens, 1973; Ai- gner Er Bachmann, 1992). Once again this unit is parti- cularly rich in fossil piants (cf. Krdusel, 1949; Dobruski- na, 1988) and is iate Julian in age (Klaus, 1960; Dunay & Fisher, 1978). Litwin Ec Ash (1991) also pointed out Upper Tri- assic amber in the lower member of the Petrified Forest Formation (Chinle Group) in the Petrified Forest Na- tional Park (Arizona). The amber is not associated with petrified wood, but rather with carbonized leaf debris in paper coal. According to Litwin et al. (L99I), the age of the amber-bearing strata is Late Carnian. Amber in the Dolomites. During the revision of the lJpper Triassic strati- graphy in the Dolornites, some layers bearing small am- ber droplets were discovered. All of the material was collected in the Dùrrenstein Formation (Pisa et al., 1980; De Zanche et al., 1993) in various localities: Santa CrocelHeiligkreuz in Badia Valley, Rumerlo and Rifu- gio Di Bona near Cortina d'Ampezzr.. The Di.irrenstein Formation is a complex carbonate-terrigenous strati- graphic unit consisting of two distinct interfingered lithozones. The carbonate one is the most typical and widespread, made up of intra-supratidal well-bedded do- lomites with stromatolitic, birds-eye and tepee structu- res. The terrigenous lithozone is characterized by sand- stones, conglomerates and hybrid arenites; coquinas are widespread in this part of the unit. The vertical evolu- tion of this lithozone shows a decrease in siliciclastic content and consequent increase in carbonate supply. T a6 0m lJpper Triassic Amber front the DoLomites 383 The depositional environment is mostly a wide ti- dal flat, sometimes interrupted by lagoons (Pisa et al', 1980; De Zanche et aI., 1993). From these facies, reptile footprints have been reported (De Zanche et aI., 1993), suggesting the existence of a nearby emerged land. The terrigenous sediments are restricted to ephemeral distri butor channels, controlled by tidal currents' and repre- sent the dispersal of fluvial supply in a marginal marine setting. The Dúrrenstein Formation corresponds to the ultimate phases of the Carnian regression: in fact, at that time, Triassic basins in the Dolomites were more or less completely filled. According to the sequence strati- Zone (Krystyn, 1,973).In the amber-bearing beds, crop- ping out about 10-15 m beloq the miospores Spiritispo- rites spirabili.s Scheuring and Patinasporites justus KIa:us, have been found. S. spirabilis is assumed to be a typical Tuvalian element (Scheuring, 1970; Blendinger, 1987), as it has never been found in Julian layers. F{owever, as far as we know, a direct fitting with ammonoids does not exist. Therefore, we don't know if the appearance of S. spirabilis coincides with the base of the Tuvalian or if it is a little older. Help is given by a sequence stratigraphic correlation between the Dolomites and the NCA. As the Car 3 depositionai sequence ar L:unz (Fig. 3) is par- Morphology and chemico-physical properties of amber of lhe Dolomites. Amber found in the described Triassic formation occurs as spherical-ovoidal granules (Fig +)' generally with diameter of about 2-5 mm; occasionally specimens of a larger size (up to 3 cm) have been found. The co- lour is from light yellow to reddish, with resinous lu- ster, and conchoidal fracture. The amber droplets are minutely and pervasively fractured. Microscopic obser- vation of the droplets shows a rough surface. Flardness is 2-3 and specific gravíty slightly greater that 1 (about 1.08). Exposed to flame, amber burns producing a resi- nous odour. Particulate samples are almost insoluble in alcohol or ether, and slightly soluble in acetone. After Age DOLOMITES Eastern NCA (LUNZ) Western NCA (amDer from Kochental) NEUEWELT (SWITZERLAND) NE ARIZONA srd-order depositional sequences z z É, o 2 RAIBL FN,4. ;ì oPPONTfZER- *' SCHICHTEN RAI BLERSC HI CHTE N fToREB SCHTCHTEN') shales 2b-2c UNTERE KIESELSANDSTEIN PAINTED DESERT t4B. SONSELA I\,18. HST Car 4TST LST HST Car 3 * oùRnerusrEtlt I tti LUNZER- )* SCHICHTEN w *o,ro*ourra" * SCHICHTEN RAIBLERSCHICHTEN ('CABDITA *. scHrcHfEN') * S shales 1a-1b-1c-2a ROTE WAND HAUPTSTEIN. MERGEL t\ *\t SCHILFSANDSTEI N iTtitnrili I rl i O BLUEI'ESAMB tdESA REDONDO FI.,,|, SHINARUT,4P FM. z f TST LST :) ? il * s. cnsstntlo FM. * GOSTLINGER KALK HST Car 2 WETfERSTEINKALK GIPSKEUPER * ammonoids palynomorphs €' amber -SB -'-'-'-'tlpc ---- mfs hiatus Fig. 3 - Sequence stratigraphic correlation of the upper Triassic amber-bearìng unlts. graphic interpretation by De Zanche et al. (1993), the tly Julian, due to the presence of ammonoids of the Au- whole Dùrrenstein Formation corresponds m the Car 3 striacum Zone (Krystyn, 1'991), it is highly probable 3.d-order depositional sequence. that the lower part of the Dùrrenstein Formation is also Amber has only been found in a narrow interval upper Julian. of siliciclastics lying in the middle Portion of the Dùrrenstein Formation (Fig. 2). Although different in details, the amber-bearing layers consist of grey-yel- lowish hybrid sandstones, rich in plant remains and coal. Marine invertebrates, mainly large bivalves and ga- stropods, are abundant. Teeth of fossil fish and frag- ments of terrestrial reptile bones have been detected' On the whole, the environment can be interpreted as margi- nal marine. The age of these layers is latest Julian, possibly close to the Julian/Tuvalian boundary (about 225 My according to Gradstein et al., 1994).In the upper part of the Dùrrenstein Fm., in correspondence to the maxi mum flooding surface of the Car 3 depositional sequen- ce, the ammonoid Shastites cf. pilari (Diener) has been found (Fig. 2), belonging to the lower Tuvaiian Dilleri 384 P. Gianolla, E. Ragazzi & G. Roght evaporation of the acetone, amber fragments are covered by a whitish crust. Infrared (lR) spectroscopy. IR spectroscopy has been suggested as a merhod ro characterize fossil resins (Beck et al., 1964; Langenheim & Beck, 1965). In the present study, small specimens of amber droplets obtained from different localities were removed from their matrix, avoiding contamination with matrix particles. Spectra were obtained in the solid state: after grinding in agate mortar, samples were inclu- ded in potassium bromide pellets. IR determinations were made just after the preparation of the pellets, to avoid an increase of hydroxyl stretching and bending ab- sorptions due ro KBr hygroscopicity (Beck, 1986). A Perkin Elmer 1600 Series FTIR spectrophobmeter, wi- thin a range of 2.5-1,5.5 pm (4000-645 cm-1), was used. Typical IR spectra of two samples of amber are shown in Fig. 5. Additional spectra of samples from dif- ferent localities in the Doiomites ranged between the two in the figure. The observed differences were of quantitative type and possibly due ro different degrees of preservation. The prominent carbonyl band near 5.8 pm (about 1700 cm-1), which is recognized as uniformly typical of all fossil resins and due to the stretching of carbon-oxygen double bonds (Langenheim & Beck, 1968; Beck, 1986), is present at 5.9 pm (1690 cm-1) (Band B). The stretching of carbon-hydrogen bonds pro- duces absorptions near 3.4 pm (2950 cm1) (Langenheim & Beck, 1968) (Band A); bending motions of these same bonds produce absorption near 6.8 prm (1470 cm't) and 7.2 1tm (1380 cm-l) (Langenheim & Beck, 1968) (Bands C and D). FIowever, the spectrum does not show a sharp band near 11.3 pm (885 cm1), characteristic of out-of- Fio 4 Amber droplets (a) in hybrid rrenire (Rurnerlo area). Thrn sectron (6, 3x). plane bending of the two hydro- Ben atoms of a terminal methyle- ne group, also considered as a feature of resin acids (i.e. agarhic and copalic acids) isolated from recent resins (Langenheim & Beck, 1968; Beck, 1986). On the other hand, Langenheim & Beck (1968) suggest caution when in- terpreting the absence of this band in fossrl resins, since rermr- nai methylene groups are easily oxidized. The region between 8- 15 pm shows a unique morpho- logy. with r main band ar 8 prm (Band E in Fig. 5) and other mi- nor bands, which may include those of carbon-oxygen single bond(s) at 8-10 pm (1250-1000 cm'1) (Langenheim, 1969). The absence of the shoulder, known as "Baitic shoulder" (Beck et a1,., L964; Beck, 1986), in the "finger- print" region between 8 and 8.5 pm (1250 and lI75 cm1), excludes a similarity with Baltic amber specrra. Palynology. Black siltstones without amber and biocalcarenites including amber from different localities within the Dùrrenstein Formation have been processed. The palyno- logical methodology consisted of a standard preparation procedure (HCl, I#, HNOr and 15 pm-mesh sieving). The samples supplied a rich palynoflora consisting of spores (evigate, verrucate), pollen (monosaccate, bisacca- te and circumpolies) and abundant cuticular fragments. The assemblage includes typical uppermost Julian-Tirvalian elements, such as Spiritisporites Eirabilk Scheuring, Valla- sporites ignacii Icschlk, Patinasporites justus Klars, Psewdo- enzondlasporites surnmus Scheuring, Samaropo l/enites specio- sars Goubin, Infemopollenites paruus Scheuring, "Paracircu- lina " aerrucosa Praehauser-Enzenberg Dwplicisporites co ntt- nuus Praehauser-Enzenbery Paracirculina maljawkinae Klaus, Dwplicisporites peryucosus (Leschik) Scheuring, Dw- plicisporites granulatus (Leschik) Scheuring (Pl. 1). As shown in Fig. 6, amber-bearing sandy biocalca- renites (sample RUMT) and biack siltstones without am- ber (samples HEL1 and SCS16) underwent a quanrirari- ve palynological analysis. A large amount of alete bisac- cate pollen has been detected in all samples; other forms show different percentual distribution. The taeniate bi- saccate pollen Lunatisporites acutus Leschik and Luecki- sporites sp. present an unexpectedly high peak of fre- quency (a total of 41o/o, berng single values 38% and 3o/o, Rumerlo Santa Croce/Heil igkreuz D E c B A Upper Triassic Amber from tbe Dolomites 4000 2500 2000 1 500 1 000 cm-t 6 6 7 I I 10 11 12 13 14 um 385 Fis. 5 - Infr.rrerl snect r: of rmber in rhe Dolomites. Upper spec- trum from Rumerlo area; lower spectrum from Santa Croce/Heiligkreuz section. A-E: marn brnds (see text Ior detail$. A comparison with the Triassic amber found in Arizona (Litwin & Ash, 1991) shows, in turn, marked differences. The authors suggest that the botani- cal source of the Arizona fossil resin could be araucarian gym- nosperms, because of Araucaria- ceae-like IR spectrum. Their spectrum however has very few diagnostic bands, which may be the result of a different taphono- mic history rather than of a dif- ferent botanical source. Amber in the Doiomites also displays a wide range of band amplitude, possibly as a result of different degrees o[ preservation. Regarding the botanical source of amber in the Dolomi- tes, quantitative palynologicai data support the possibility of a con ifer oriqin The unusual .rbundance o[ LunatisporiLes acu- tus and Lueckisporites sp. corro- borates this hypothesis. In Au- stralian Triassic sedimenfs, Luna- tisporites acutws has been found .rssociated in sttu with gymno- sperm cones (Townrow, 1,967; Balme, f995) and tentatively re- ferred to the genus Rissikia, which represents the oldest certain podocarpacean remains (Stewart, 1,983). Lwecki- sporites sp. is associated with the conifer Majonica alpina Klement-\flesterhof, a Permian Majonicaceae found in the Butterloch area (Balme, 1995); another affinity is be- tween this pollen and the conifers Pramelrautbia bober' felneri (Krasser) found in the Triassic ar Luîa. Flowever, attribution of a Triassic fossil resin to a specific taxon is hazardous, because during that time the major groups of Coniferales had just begun to differentiate from Voltzia- les (Milier, 1977 ; Ste:svart, 1983). Palynostratigraphic and sedimentological analysis of amber-bearing layers (Dunay Ec Fisher, 1928; Klaus, 1960; Jelen & Kusej, 1,982;Praehauser-Enzenberg, 1970; Scheuring, 1970) suggests a narrow correlation between amber occurrence in several Triassic localities (Fig 7) along 1Oo-30o paleolatitudinal belr (Gilbert Smith et al., 4 respectively) in correspondence to amber level (sample RIIMZ), thus suggesting a link with the amber-produ- cing species. Discussion. Comparison of the IR spectrum of our samples to spectra of other fossil resins (Langenheim & Beck, 1965, 1968; Langenheim, t969; Beck, 1986) suggests that this resin is a unique kind of amber, in spite of the fact that the spectrum has similarities ftand at 8 pm, 1250 cm-1) with those of present-day Pinaceae resins (I-angenheim & Beck, 1965). A similarity can also be found with spectra of Cretaceous amber in \íashington, D.C. and Alaska, interpreted as deriving from a complex forest of Conifera- les, including Podocarpaceae, Araucariaceae, Pinaceae and Cupressaceae-Taxodiaceae (Langenheim & Beck, 1968). 386 P. GianoLla, E. Ragazzi €r G. Roghi 1973; Yeevers, 1.994). The first surprising result is the substantial synchroneity of the amber-bearing interval. Secondiy, the consistency of the correlation is enhanced by a similar depositional typology (fluvial, marginal-ma- Fig.6 - Qu.rntitarive p.rlynologìc.rl analysis of 3 samples from rhe amber-belrìng inrerurl: HEL 1 and SCS 16 from San- tr Croce/Heìligkreuz aref,i RUM 7 from Rumerlo (Cor- tina d'Ampezzo). Samples HEL 1 and SCS 16 do not bear rmber. R : rare, from O to 5%; C : common, from 5 ro l5o'o and A : abundanr, 1.5Yo. rine) throughout different Trias- sic basins, attesting to a sudden and strong increase in immature siliciclastics, in turn documen- ting an increase in runoff and therefore in rainfall. Although rejected by some researchers, on the basis of a de- tailed quantitative palynological analysis (Visscher et al., 1994), in our ooinion r he idea of a time-limited humid event, which during late Triassic broke the prevalent and generalized artd climate (Simms & Ruffel, 1989r Manspeizer, 1994; Simms et al., 1995) could be once more taken into consideration. In the Dúrrenstein Formation, the pre- sence o[ spores belonging to dif- ferent species suggests the exist- ence of a vegetation of hygrophi- tic type, thus corroborating the idea of a humid event. Above data pose new pro- blems which require further in- vestigations. Why does amber only occur in such deposits? Why are they so relatively abun- dant? Vhat are the relationships between amber and the assumed humid climatic event? Can amber production and/or fossilisation be tentati- vely related to it? The abundance of amber droplets in the sediments may be the consequence of litoraneal re- PLATE 1 I) Spiritisporites spirabilis, Scheuring 1970, (42 pm); Slide SCS16 III,145/3;2) Patinasporitesjustzs, Klaus 1960, (54 pm); Slide SCS16 I, K32;3) ValLa- sporrtes ignacii, Leschik 1956, (36 pm); Slide SCS16 I, 528/3; +) Enzonalasporites úgms, Leschtk, 1956, (38 pm); RUM/ IX, N40; 5) Samaropollmites speciosus Goubin, i965, (ength 56 pm); SCS16 II,C32;6) Lueckisporites sp., 1954, Qength.72;Lm); RUMZ X, P35;7) Lunatisporites acutusLesch;k, 1956, (length 47 pm); RUMZ IX,P28/2; 8) " Paracirculina" oerrucosa Praehauser-Enzenberg, 1,97Q, (45 pm); SCS16 I, N31;9) Paracirculina tmebrosa c^L^"-:-^ 1a7^ I1a "*\'eas16 I, K30/3; 1.0) Duplicisporites continuus Praehauser-Enzenberg, 1970, (a0 pm); SCS16 IV, K35; 11) PseudoenzomLa-tsrra/, J\ sporites surnmus Scheuring, D7A, (46 pLm); SCS16 II,P48/4:12) Paracirculina maljaakinae Klaus, 1960, (36 pm); SCS16 I, N33. Coordinates of the figured specimens were taken with the England Finder using Leitzrf/etzlar n. 5345 with attached camera. All the slides housed in the Dipanimento di Geologia, Paleontologia e Geofisica of the University of Padova. 40 S30 20 t0 0 Alete bisaccates Taeniate bisaccates Monosaccates md Vescicates OvalipollisCircmpolles Triletespores MONOSACCATES AND ._a*. R l;iòhì[ il iGà'usel & Lesdi[]036* secatus Leschik in Krausel & Leschik. 1956 Krausel & Leschik. I in Krausel & Lesch Pl. i Upper Triassic Arnber from tbe Dolom.ites 187 r-t 388 P. Gianolla, E. Ragazzi G G. Roghi sin deposition due to a decrease of water salinity, fol- Iowing important rainfall evenrs. The lowered density of marine water may have allowed sinking and deposition of the resin. Furthermore, a rapid change in climate may have induced stresses in the plants and therefore an increase in resin secretion. Although in the other fluvial and/or marginal- marine Triassic deposits in the Southern Alps fossil re- L A T I T U D E Frg.7 - Occurrences of Upper Trias- sic amber. The distribution of the sites is scattered along the tropical belt. Carnian Pangea after Gilben Smith et al. (1973). A) Dolomites; B) Nonhern Calcareoirs Alps and Switzerland: C) Arizona. sins have not yet been mentio- ned, the occurrence of amber in the Carnian cannot be a fortui- tous event. Further investiga- tions will establish the consisren- cy of these considerarions. Acknouleclgements. Authors thanks Proff. Vittorio De Zanche and Paolo Mretto for helpful discussion and criticism; thanks are due also to J. A. van Konijenburg-van Cittert, Utrecht, and to an anonymous referee for critical reading and suggestions. Authors are grateful to Paolo Fedele (Cortina d'Ampezzo), who collected and gave us arnber samples. .{/e thank also Dr. Adriana Chilin for rnfrared determinations. Thìs research was sponsored by the C.N.R. - Cenrro di Studio per la Geodinamica Alpina (Padova) - and by the M.U.R.S.T. (ex 40%, 1996, resp. Prof. I. Dieni). REFERENCES Aigner T. & Bachmann G.H. (1992) - Sequence srrarigraphic framework of the German Triassic. Sed. GeoL.. v. Be. nn.1 1 5-l 35 Amster6|2p.rr''-'-'"t Austin J.J., Ross A.J., Smith A.B., Fortey R.A., Thomas R.H. (1997) - Problems of reproducibility: does geologically ancient DNA survive in amber preserved insects?. Proc. Royal Soc. London, s. 8., v. 264, pp. 467-474, London. Balme B.E. (1995) - Fossil lz situ spores and pollen grains: an annotated catalogue. Reo. Palaeobot. Palynol., v. 82, pp. 8l-323, Amsterdam. Bechstadt T. & Schweizer T. (1.99I) - The carbonate-clastic cycles of the East-Alpine Raibl group: result of third-or- der sea-level fluctuations in the Carnian. Sed. Geol.. v. 70, pp. 241-270, Amsterdam. Beck C.\W. (1986) - Spectroscopic investigation of amber. Appl. 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