Fossil resins, also known under the name “ambers”, are formed from exudates of gymnosperm and angiosperm trees in Earth's sedimentary rocks. Up to day, more than 167 fossil resin occurrences and major deposits have been reported in literature. The scientists are mainly focused on fossiliferous ambers, which contain numerous fossil inclusions. However, the geochemical studies, especially those that are aimed at elucidation of the chemical composition of the fossil resins are scantily reported in literature. The chemical composition of ambers is very important for establishing an evolutionary link between ancient plants and their present form. Here, we present seventy-eight major occurrences of fossil resins together with their geochemical, botanical, and geographical data that have been published up to now. Most of them are from North America, Europe, and Asia; however, the occurrences from South America, Africa, Australia, and Oceania are also discussed. The examined ambers have been found in the late Carboniferous or younger sediments. In most cases, the sediments were formed in a close-to-the-shore or swamp-based environment. In many cases, the fossil resins were likely transferred and redeposited in younger sediments during various environmental and geological processes.

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化石树脂——化学分类学概述

化石树脂，也称为“琥珀”，是由地球沉积岩中裸子植物和被子植物的分泌物形成的。迄今为止，文献中已报道了超过 167 个树脂化石矿点和主要矿床。科学家们主要关注含化石的琥珀，其中含有大量化石内含物。然而，地球化学研究，特别是那些旨在阐明树脂化石化学成分的研究，在文献中报道很少。琥珀的化学成分对于建立古代植物与其现在形态之间的进化联系非常重要。在这里，我们介绍了 78 个主要的树脂化石产地以及迄今为止已发布的地球化学、植物学和地理数据。他们大多数来自北美、欧洲和亚洲；然而，还讨论了南美洲、非洲、澳大利亚和大洋洲的事件。所检查的琥珀是在石炭纪晚期或更年轻的沉积物中发现的。在大多数情况下，沉积物是在靠近海岸或沼泽的环境中形成的。在许多情况下，化石树脂可能在各种环境和地质过程中转移并重新沉积在较年轻的沉积物中。