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More than 150 different
types of amber in the world





Amber has been found on all continents except Antarctica, so from the coldest regions in Canada and Siberia to the warmest areas around the equator there is amber - in total there are well over 150 different types of amber. All types have great scientific value, but only a few types have achieved economic value in the trading market. In addition to the widely differing color shades of the types, they differ primarily from each other according to their location and age - thus each type is also its own window to a specific period in Earth history, to which we can travel back thanks to that type.

The oldest amber in the world originates from the United States and has an age of as much as 320 million years. The oldest amber found at the time of writing with inclusions (a fly and two mites), originates from the Alps in northern Italy and is 230 million years old. Jordanian and Lebanese amber is the oldest type that has been found, where due to the frequency of the inclusions it has also been possible to obtain a more systematic insight into the biodiversity of the old primeval forest. This type has an age of 125-130 million years, / but at the time of writing is unfortunately difficult to access due to minefields and political instability in the region.
From about 130 million years ago until today, the occurrence of different types of amber is far more frequent than before that time. The largest occurrence of all types of amber is Baltic amber, which has an age of about 34-48 million years - this is the type that we also find in Denmark. It is said that well over 80% of all the amber known in the world is Baltic amber



The plan is that this section is going to be far more comprehensive. In the long run, an amber-type image database, in-depth descriptions of different types of amber and more will be added. If you can help with this, then you are most welcome to contact me.


Can you contribute to this section

I have made this list with different types of amber sorted by contries, location and their age. Countries are listed in the order of what their youngest type of amber is. It is still being processed and in the long run I want to make it complete with references and pictures of amber from each mine. There may be types/mines I am not aware of and therefore missing - please contact me if you can help make it complete.


A quik overview:

The list contains amber mines in 38 countries and 171 mines are listed


The 7 youngest types on the list is:

  • Aceh (North Sumatra, Indonesia) /Lower Pliocene
  • Tukau fm. (Sarawak, Malaysia) /Lower Pliocene
  • Aukland Prov. (New Zealand) /Miocene-Pliocene
  • Luzon Island (Phillipines) /Miocene-Pliocene
  • Romania /Upper Miocene
  • Yazov (Ukraine) /Upper Miocene
  • Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia, Canada) /Lower Miocene - Middle Miocene

The 7 oldest types on the list is:

  • Mont Liban localities (Central Lebanon) /Lower Neocomian
  • Moravska Trebova (Czechoslovakia) /Cretaceous
  • Boskovice (Moravia, Czechoslovakia) /Cretaceous
  • Golling (Salzbourg, Austria) /Lower Cretaceous
  • Shaum’anowskij region (Azerbaijan) /Lower Cretaceous
  • Suyfun basin (Primorye, Russia) /Lower Cretaceous
  • Cortina d'Ampezzo,Dolomite (Southern Alps, Italy) /Lower Carnian - Upper Ladinian

Search the table: Use the search function in your browser. Press on your keyboard "Ctrl" + "F" (it may be different from the various browsers) and type in "the location, time period ect".


Pictures of different types

I wish to make a collection of pictures, which gives you the opportunity to get a sense of the different types of amber - their size, colour, texture, etc. You will also be able to use these images to confirm the authenticity of your own pieces, or compare the pictures and check the authenticity of various types of amber, for example on Ebay. If you have a good picture of a particular type of amber, please contact me and help to make the list (you will of course be noted with copyright).



THE AMBER LIST



Indonesia

  1. Aceh (North Sumatra) /Lower Pliocene
  2. Jambi (Central Sumatra) /Miocene

Malaysia

  1. Tukau fm. (Sarawak) /Lower Pliocene
  2. Merit - Pila /Lower Miocene

New Zealand

  1. Aukland Prov. /Miocene-Pliocene

Phillipines

  1. Luzon Island /Miocene-Pliocene

Romania

  1. Romania /Upper Miocene
  2. Colti (Buzau) /Early Oligocene

Ukraine

  1. Yazov /Upper Miocene
  2. Klesov /Upper Eocene - Lower Oligocene
  3. Dnepr River basin (Belorussia and Ukraine) /Upper Eocene
  4. Verkhne - Sinevidnoe /Upper Eocene

Canada

  1. Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia) /Lower Miocene-Middle Miocene
  2. Eureka Sd Grp (Axel Heiberg + Ellesmere Island) /Eocene
  3. Hat Creek (British Columbia) /Early - Middle Eocene
  4. Nanaimo (Vancouver) /Early - Middle Eocene
  5. Princeton (British Columbia) /Early - Middle Eocene
  6. Wabamun Lake (Alberta) /Palaeocene
  7. Edmonton (Alberta) /Maastrichtian
  8. Grande Prairie (Alberta) /Maastrichtian
  9. Cedar Lake (Manitoba) /Campanian
  10. Foremost Fm. (Medicine Hat, Alberta) /Campanian
  11. Dinosaur Prov. Park (Patricia, Alberta) /Campanian
  12. Taber (Alberta) /Campanian
  13. Grassy Lake (Alberta) /Upper Cretaceous

The Dominican republic

  1. Bayaguana - El Valle /Lower Miocene
  2. Santiago-P. Plata /Middle Oligocene - Miocene

Germany

  1. Burghammer (Lausitz) /Miocene
  2. Goitsche mine /Upper Oligocene - Lower Miocene
  3. Bitterfeld /Upper Oligocene - Lower Miocene
  4. Königsaue (Aschersleben) /Upper Eocene
  5. Zwenkau (Leipzig) /Upper Eocene
  6. Helmstedt /Middle Eocene
  7. Leonhard (Geiseltal) /Middle Eocene
  8. Latdorf - Nienburg /Eocene
  9. Nietleben (Halle) /Eocene

Poland

  1. Machów /Miocene
  2. Parczew /Early Upper Eocene

Brazil

  1. Pará /Miocene
  2. Crato Fm. (Araripe) /Upper Aptian - Lower Albian

Australia

  1. Cape York /Miocene

Italy / Sicily

  1. Catania (Sicily) /Upper Oligocene
  2. Cortina d'Ampezzo,Dolomite (Southern Alps) /Lower Carnian – Upper Ladinian

Mexico / Chiapas

  1. Mexican amber (Chiapas - Simojovel) /Middle Oligocene - Miocene
  2. Fruitland Fm. (San Juan Basin, New Mexico) /Campanian
  3. Baja California (Mexico) /Campanian

Kazakhstan

  1. Chilikty Fm. (Pavlodar) /Middle Oligocene
  2. Uly-Zilansik River Basin /Oligocene
  3. Korzhindy Fm. (Aral Sea) /Lower - Middle Oligocene

Siberia

  1. Chulym-Enisey basin /Middle Oligocene
  2. Tastakh Lake /Eocene
  3. Bykovskaya Fm. (Lena Delta) /Palaeocene
  4. Maymecha River /Santonian
  5. Kiya and Simonovo Fm. (Chylym - Enisey) /Cenomanian - Turonian
  6. Timmerdyakh Fm. (Yakutia) /Cenomanian - Turonian
  7. Arctic Institute Islands (Karsk Sea, Taimyr) /Upper Cretaceous
  8. Agapa river (Tajmyr) /Cenomanian

Russia

  1. Rechnoy Peninsula (Tavrichanka) /Oligocene
  2. Kantemirovka (Veronezh) /Lower Oligocene
  3. Uglovka Fm. (Primorye) /Eocene - Oligocene
  4. Avekova Fm. (Magadan) /Eocene - Oligocene
  5. Kasyanovo (Veronezh) /Upper Eocene
  6. Napan Fm. (Kamchatka) /Middle Eocene
  7. Visloe (Belgorod) /Middle Eocene
  8. Naiba River (near Urtay Creek mouth) /Palaeocene
  9. Sakhalin Island /Palaeocene
  10. Timmerdyankh - Khaya Hill (Yakutia) /Maastrichtian - Danian
  11. Yantardakh (Khatanga) /Late Santonian
  12. Baikura - Neru Bay (Taimyr) /Coniacian - Santonian
  13. Kheta Fm. (Khatanga) /Coniacian - Santonian
  14. Ledyanaya Fm. (Khatanga) /Turonian
  15. Arkagala Fm. (Magadan) /Cenomanian - Turonian
  16. Dolgan Fm. (Agapa) /Upper Cenomanian
  17. Taimyrskoje lake (Taimyr) /Upper Cretaceous
  18. Lena (Yakutia) /Upper Cretaceous
  19. Baigul Fm. (Olov, Chita) /Upper Cretaceous
  20. Begichev (Uts - Enisey) /Albian - Cenomanian
  21. Khetana river (Khabarovsk) /Albian
  22. Ogneva Fm. (Khatanga) /Aptian - Albian
  23. Yakovleva (Taimyr) /Aptian - Albian
  24. Stary Oskol (Belgorod) /Aptian
  25. Suyfun basin (Primorye) /Lower Cretaceous

Japan

  1. Iwaidzumi-Iwate /Oligocene
  2. Taneichi and Kunitan Fms. (Kuji) /Campanian
  3. Tamagawa Fm. (Okawame - Kuji) /Late Cretaceous
  4. Kimigahama Fm. (Nagasaki-Chõshi) /Hauterivian

Tunisia

  1. Ben Metir (Aïn Draham) /Oligocene or earlier

USA

  1. Seattle (Washington, USA) /Eocene - Oligocene
  2. Tiger Mountain Fm. (Issaquah, Washington) /Middle Eocene
  3. Claibore Fm. (Acme, Malvern, Arkansas) /Middle Eocene
  4. Malverne (Arkansas) /Eocene
  5. Simi Valley (California) /Eocene
  6. Lance Fm. (Niobrara, Wyoming) /Upper Maastrichtian
  7. Hell Creek Fm. (Glendive, Montana) /Upper Maastrichtian
  8. Laramie Fm. (Boulder, Colorado) /Upper Maastrichtian
  9. Terlingua Formation (Brewster County, Texas) /Late Campanian - Early Maastrichtian
  10. Wainright (Alaska) /Campanian
  11. Merchantville Fm. (New Jersey) /Santonian - Campanian
  12. Arctic Coastal Plain and Foothills, Yukon Delta /Late Cretaceous
  13. Arctic Coastal Plain and Foothills, Umnak Islands /Late Cretaceous
  14. Arctic Coastal Plain and Foothills, Unalaska /Late Cretaceous
  15. Arctic Coastal Plain and Foothills, Killik Bend /Late Cretaceous
  16. Magothy Fm. (Maryland, USA) /Turonian - Coniacian
  17. Raritan Fm. (New Jersey) /Turonian
  18. Seward (Nebraska) /Upper Cretaceous
  19. Ellsworth County - Kanopolis Lake (Kansas) /Albian - Cenomanian
  20. Patuxent Fm. (Atlantic Coastal Plain) /Barremian
  21. Southern Illinois /Carboniferous

Samland

  1. Palmnicken (Samland) /Upper Eocene
  2. Sambian Peninsula ( Kaliningrad Oblast) /Upper Eocene
  3. Baltic amber (Samland Peninsula) /Lower - Middle Eocene

China

  1. Shansi Prov. /Middle - Upper Eocene
  2. Kwangtung /Middle - Upper Eocene
  3. Yungchang (Yunnan) /Middle - Upper Eocene
  4. Guchenzgi Fm. (Fushun, Liaoning) /Eocene

Argentina

  1. Patagonica Fm. (Puerto Madryn) /Lower - Middle Eocene

Africa

  1. Ameki Fm. (Umuahia - Bende, Nigeria) /Eocene
  2. Ethiopia (Africa) /Cenomanian
  3. Kirkwood Fm. (Eastern Cape Prov. South Africa) /Middle - Upper Valanginian

Austria

  1. Gablitz (Wien) /Eocene
  2. Viena and Salzburg /Hauterivian
  3. Golling (Salzbourg) /Lower Cretaceous

France

  1. Douzens (Aude) /Lower Eocene
  2. Oise river, Le Quesnoy, Paris Basin /Lower Eocene
  3. Corbie'res (Pirenean) /Danian
  4. Bouches-du-Rhöne /Turonian
  5. Angoulëmes (Aquitanian Basin) /Cenomanian
  6. Anjou region /Cenomanian
  7. Bezonnais, Durtal and Fouras /Cenomanian
  8. Bezonnais, Durtal and Fouras /Cenomanian
  9. Salignac (Alpes) /Cenomanian
  10. Charente /Albian - Cenomanian

India

  1. Vastan, Gujarat, Cambay /Lower Eocene

United Kingdom

  1. London Clay Fm. /Palaeocene
  2. Wessex Fm. (Isle of Wight) /Early Barremian
  3. Amber in Dorset, Kent and Sussex /Valanginian

Spain

  1. Vilada (Barcelona) /Maastrichtian
  2. La Monjoya Fm. (Asturias) /Lower - Middle Cenomanian
  3. El Caleyu Fm. (Asturias) /Lower Cenomanian
  4. Ullaga Fm. (Asturias) /Upper Albian
  5. Ensenada del Camello (Santander) /Albian
  6. Escucha Fm. (Rubielos de Mora and others) /Lower - Middle Albian
  7. Nograro Fm. (Pen‹acerrada) /Lower - Middle Albian
  8. Reocín (Cantabria) /Aptian - Albian
  9. Morella (Castelló) /Early Aptian

Azerbaijan

  1. Gorchuchaj river (Laéinskij) /Coniacian
  2. Mamalichay river basin /Coniacian
  3. Adzikend /Cenomanian
  4. Murovdag Range /Lower Cenomanian
  5. Shaum’anowskij region /Lower Cretaceous

Armenia

  1. Shawarshawan /Coniacian
  2. Koti (Noemberyan) /Coniacian

Hungary

  1. Ajka /Upper Cretaceous

Burma/Myanmar

  1. Hukawng Valley (Myitkyina) /Cenomanian

Lebanon

  1. Aabediyé (Central Lebanon) /Albian
  2. Caza Aaley (Central Lebanon) /Upper Aptian
  3. Hammana 3 (Central Lebanon) /Upper Aptian
  4. Hadath El Joubbeh (Lebanon North) /Early Aptian
  5. Hammana 3 (Central Lebanon) /Early Aptian
  6. Jezzine 3 (South Lebanon) /Early Aptian
  7. Mont Liban localities (Central Lebanon) /Hauterivian
  8. Hammana 1 and 2 (Central Lebanon) /Middle Neocomian
  9. Jezzine 1 and 2 (South Lebanon) /Middle Neocomian
  10. Mont Liban localities (Central Lebanon) /Middle Neocomian
  11. Quanat and Bcharre (North Lebanon) /Middle Neocomian
  12. Mont Liban localities (Central Lebanon) /Lower Neocomian

Jordan

  1. Wadi Zerka (Amman) /Albian

Syria

  1. Bloudan /Hauterivian

Israel

  1. Mont Hermon (Qiryat Chmouma) /Valanginian - Hauterivian

Czechoslovakia

  1. Moravska Trebova /Cretaceous
  2. Boskovice (Moravia) /Cretaceous

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This page is made by



President of the Danish Amber Association (DAA)

Anders Leth Damgaard



One of the most visited pages about amber



If you can help expand the page, please contact me.
​​I sincerely hope that this page can help your quest for knowledge.





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All text and pictures made by Anders Leth Damgaard is licensed Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licens