How amber was formed: origin, properties and characteristics, interesting facts

Origin of the stone

What is amber and how was it formed? Amber is a fossil resin from coniferous trees that previously grew on Earth. This mineral, like many others, is of organic origin. If we consider it from a chemical point of view, then it is a mixture of resins and organic acids (including 8% succinic acid). It happens that a mineral includes various kinds of impurities, such as nitrogen, iron, sulfur, aluminum and silicon.

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Its structure is amphora. In nature, it is found in bulk. That is, amber, as a rule, is found in pieces. Sometimes you can see resin discharge in the form of a droplet. Often there are samples of various types with inclusions of air and water bubbles. There are even stones that contain pieces of plants and prehistoric insects. These minerals are especially prized by collectors.

Mining locations

Honey gemstone is found in many regions of the globe, and industrial production is carried out in several main deposits. Most famous:

• Baltic (Palmnikenskoye, or Primorskoye field near Kaliningrad);
• Belarusian (Polesskoe);
• Dnieper (“burshtyns” of the Klesovskoye field);
• Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Mexican coast);
• Indian (Cambay);
• Burmese (explored reserves are almost depleted).

Palmnikenskoye is the largest mining site for high-quality amber jewelry raw materials, developed for almost 150 years.

Development is carried out using the open-pit method and produces three quarters of world production. Poland and the Baltic states focus on the work of pickers who catch stone along the coast. The historical significance of the Ukrainian mineral is confirmed by the presence of the city of Burshtyn, which translates as “amber”.

Huge deposits of gem-quality solar gems are concentrated off the coast of the Baltic Sea, where amber was formed millions of years ago. The largest field belongs to Russia, providing more than 80% of the world's production. After stormy weather, the mineral rises from the Baltic seabed and is washed ashore. Smaller deposits are being developed on the island of Haiti. Good quality stone is typical for Ukraine and Belarus.

How and where is the mineral formed?

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How was amber formed on Earth? The origin of the stone is associated with ancient conifers. They appeared back in the Permian period of the geological era. Where the Fennoscandian Mountains are now, there was a plain for a long time.

Almost fifty million years BC. the climate here was warm, one might even say hot. There were also dense forests here. They were inhabited by a diverse fauna. Birds jumped along the branches, leaving footprints in the resin of the trees. There were various insects in abundance (ants, flies, mosquitoes and others). Scientists have found about five hundred species of beetles, 450 species of dipterans and sixty species of ants in amber. You can also see other insects in the mineral.

Strong storms felled trees and broke branches. From the latter, resin was released and accumulated. Insects landed on it and drowned in it. Gradually the resin hardened, and so a mineral appeared.

Those who are interested in how amber is formed in the Baltic Sea should know that later the coal-bearing deposits of the above-mentioned forests were washed out by the sea. As a result, amber got into its clayey silt, which is also sometimes called “blue earth”. And thanks to this, now this mineral is mined in the Palmniken deposit on the western coast of the Zamlan Peninsula in the Baltic Sea, forty kilometers from Kaliningrad. Residents of the Baltic states, who are in love with this stone, call it “a piece of sun rays.”

Many people wonder how long it takes for amber to form? It is impossible to answer this question precisely. But we can assume that this takes millions of years. Certain conditions for resin burial are also required.

The main Baltic legend about amber

Among the Baltic peoples, the appearance of amber is associated with the sad but romantic story of two lovers. During the reign of the god Perkunas, the sea goddess Jurate prospered in a marvelous amber castle at the bottom of the sea. She had the imprudence to fall in love with the brave fisherman Custis. While fishing, the young man sang beautiful melodies, which the impressionable sea goddess fell in love with.

One day Jurate took a young fisherman to her castle at the bottom of the sea, the lovers were immersed in their feelings and did not notice the machinations of Perkūnas. Angered by the behavior of the sea goddess, the god struck lightning into the amber home of the lovers. He punished Jurate for breaking the laws of the gods and falling in love with a mortal.

The ending of the story was the order to chain the unwanted Custis to the ruins of the castle and rock him to death with the waves. And the unfortunate goddess with a broken heart is still crying for her beloved, and small amber drops of her tears are found by people in the coastal sands of the Baltic Sea. The finds in the form of amber blocks are pieces of the magnificent castle destroyed by Perkūnas.

Healing properties of the stone

We have already found out how amber was formed. Now let's talk about the healing properties of the stone. Previously it was believed that there were no ailments that amber could not cure. Now it is also used in modern medicine. It helps with sore throat, headaches, improves heart function, and has a positive effect on the spleen. Amber also helps to cope with other ailments.

Amber has a positive effect on lymph and blood. It also helps with varicose veins. Nowadays in medicine they note the fact that amber can prevent hemolysis. The stone also helps with fibroids, cysts and other tumors (both benign and malignant). This effect is easy to explain. Amber inhibits pathological cell division. This promotes the resorption of tumors and the death of harmful cells.

Amber contains iodine. For this reason, it is useful to wear beads made from this material for the prevention and treatment of thyroid diseases that occur when there is a lack of the above-mentioned microelement in the body.

Amber also contains other useful elements. It contains succinic acid, which activates metabolism. In general, this acid has a very wide range of medical effects. For example, it stimulates the functioning of the nervous system, improves the activity of the intestines and kidneys. Used as an antitoxic, anti-stress agent.

Amber chips are used in the manufacture of valuable drugs, such as antiseptics, cortisone acetate, antiseptics and others.

APPLICATION

Since ancient times, amber has been used to make all kinds of jewelry and household items. Amber was used to make not only wearable jewelry, but also practical items such as cigarette cases, ashtrays, caskets, caskets and even watches. The famous Amber Room occupies a special place in art.

Small grains, jewelry production waste and contaminated substandard amber are valuable chemical raw materials for the production of succinic acids, oils and rosin used in the perfume, pharmaceutical and paint and varnish industries.

Amber is also an exceptionally good electrical insulator. Its electrical resistivity is ρ = 1017 Ohm m, and the dielectric loss tangent tan δ = 0.001. Only fluoroplastic-4 can compete with amber, for which ρ = 1015-1018 Ohm m, tan δ ≤ 0.0001. Amber insulators were used (especially in the 1960s, before the widespread introduction of fluoroplastic) in the ionization chambers of X-ray meters. Typically, fused amber was used - the so-called “ambroid”.

Amber – C10H16O + (H2S)

Magical properties of the mineral. How can you use amber as an amulet?

We have already figured out in detail how amber was formed and what healing properties it has. Now let's look at the magical ones. Amber is a symbol of health and happiness. Its magical properties are varied. In ancient times, the stone was used as an amulet. It was believed to be a source of optimism, creativity, and also faith. The stone enhances intuition. It also helps to implement plans, brings peace, joy, and maintains health.

Pregnant women need a stone. If a pregnant woman wears it, she will preserve the fetus and give birth successfully. If a nursing mother has such an amulet, the child will develop a kind, cheerful disposition.

Evil spirits are repelled by a stone (untreated) if placed near the pillow. To protect your home from lightning and fires, you should keep amber items at home.

Russia – Primorsko-Palmniken basin

Geographically, deposits of the precious stone in Russia are located on the Baltic coast (Zemland Peninsula), near Kaliningrad and the village. Amber. Previously, this deposit was considered one of the largest in the world, but now part of it (Palmnikensky site) has been mothballed by flooding the quarry. At the moment, mining of the solar gem is carried out only within the Primorsky and Beach areas, with prospectors extracting up to 350 tons per year.

These deposits are developed through open-pit mining. The total area of ​​the mine is about 1 million 500 thousand m2, while its length is 1200 m, and its width varies from 800 to 1500 m.

The parent rock from which gems are extracted is glauconitic sand, or “blue earth,” which lies at a depth of 40-100 m. The thickness of the sand layer is 0.5-15 m. One cubic meter can contain about 500-600 grams . gold crystals, and in some areas this figure exceeds 4 kg. Their sizes range from a few micrometers to 20 cm, and sometimes there are unique specimens larger than 40 cm in diameter. Most of the deposit contains succinite – up to 98%, gedanite (the so-called “rotten stone”, fragile and transparent) – only 2%.

Amber mining is carried out as follows. Water jet. pumped under high pressure, erodes the waste rock hiding precious stones. The mixture of liquid and earth is pumped out and, after cleaning, ends up in the sea. Next, the amber-containing sands are saturated with water. When they reach the state of pulp, the substance is delivered through a pipeline to the factory using a suction dredger.

There the compound is enriched, passing first through a lattice with large cells, and then through fine sieves. The remaining gems are cleaned, washed and dried. Next, they are sent to the “rumble” - a system of vibrating filters that separate the precious stones by size.

In addition to the official enterprise, illegal miners are also involved in mining. Over 10 illegal mini-quarries have already been discovered, and losses from such fishing exceed 150 tons per year.

Interesting facts about the yellow mineral

Let's look at some interesting information about this stone:

• Amber is a mineral that was revered by many peoples as a stone of power. For example, Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s crown was decorated with this mineral.
• In Ancient Greece, this gem was considered the stone of the sun.
• Amber often contains inclusions called “inclusions.” These are arthropod insects. They died in a quickly solidifying mass. Thanks to this, it was possible to preserve the smallest details well.
• The ancient Romans had their own version of how the amber stone was formed. These people called the mineral "lincurium". Translated, the name means “lynx urine.” According to legend, amber is believed to be a beautiful stone that was formed from the petrified urine of a representative of the (mountain) cat family.

Processing methods

Amber is considered a fragile gem; during processing, like many other stones, it loses weight. This leads to the fact that the cost of products inlaid with gems increases in price.

There are several processing technologies that help give amber the desired characteristics. Stone can be processed in the following ways:

• heat;
• heat;
• brighten;
• expose to chemicals.

Powdered amber is heated, because after this the pieces of stone become soft and plastic. It is easy to work with such material. The powder is exposed to temperature and pressure, causing it to turn into a viscous mass. This is how amber is obtained; If you add impurities to the powder, you can change the color of the gem and give it a unique shade.

Ambroid is a stone that is pressed and obtained from powder. After processing, it is sanded to give a special mosaic effect. Such amber is no different from a monolithic stone in terms of characteristics, but is cheaper.

Heating helps rid the mineral of air bubbles. When exposed to temperatures, they burst, forming scales, sparkling lenses and disks. After heating, amber can be heated, then the stone will change color, it will have inclusions that resemble sparkles. If you heat the mineral to 100–250 degrees, it will change color and become dark cherry. But before subjecting amber to heat treatment, it needs to be clarified: if this is not done, it will fade.

If we talk about lightening, the process consists of evaporating moisture from the stone. A stone made in this way has slightly different characteristics: it is less fragile, dense and less likely to crack when drilled. The process uses nitrogen: the material is immersed in it for 16 hours at a temperature of 260 degrees. This method of processing also changes the color of amber, it becomes transparent. During processing, the gem loses from 5 to 10% of its weight.

The gem is also subjected to oxidation, for this purpose reagents are used or a procedure is carried out using photoaging. As a result of this treatment, a film is formed on the surface of the gem, which can change its color. If amber is polished after oxidation, a thin film will remain on its surface. If the stone is polished, the film will disappear from its surface and the gem will acquire the shade given to it by nature.

Processing has several advantages: it helps eliminate defects, improve the characteristics of the stone, change its color, and add transparency.