Amber in Matrix, Loose Amber
"Glory Hole" Site
Hanna Basin
Carbon County, WY
Hanna Formation (~57-56 Ma)
Matrix Piece: 9.0g / 43x28x12mm
Loose Lot: 3.0g
Equipment:
Samsung Galaxy S9+
BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe
PULUZ LED Lightbox
Convoy S2 Longwave UV Light (365nm)
*Matrix specimen was collected on 6/15/2022; loose material was collected the day prior.
Loose Amber:
I recovered the loose pieces of amber from exposures located 1 mile south of Glory Hole; the matrix they were found in is practically identical to that found in the northern site, and the amber is superficially similar as well.
In-Situ Piece:
The in-situ amber of the matrix specimen is mostly in the form of tear-shaped droplets, some of which are slightly compressed. The matrix is a carbonaceous mudstone and is easily separated into thin layers, making this piece rather delicate; some coalified remains of a twig are nestled in the matrix as well, and a partial mold is left where some of it fell out during extraction. The bright blue fluorescence of the amber is quite strong, and I could only get a good image while shining incident LED light onto the entire specimen, along with the longwave UV light.
A natural yellowish coating is visible on the underside of the matrix specimen, and is a fairly common sight at the Glory Hole deposit: I found it to be especially present in layers of matrix containing a lot of moisture. I recall extracting this piece from a seam a few inches beneath the surface, along an easterly-facing slope that was out of direct sunlight: this was incidentally the same seam that contained the large coalified log and several large amber nuggets.
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Meteorite with CAIs: oldest known solid material in our solar system- the white substance in this meteorite is called Calcium Aluminum rich inclusions (CAIs) and radiometric dating sets the formation time at 4.5673 billion years ago- a few million years older than the rest of the meteorite material and thought to be the first solid compounds formed in the protoplanetary disk before the planets even existed. This substance is most common in carbonaceous chondrites type CV3 as found in this 8 gram sample which was cut and polished on one side. This particular sample was found in 2012 in Northwest Africa. Only the molecules and atoms themselves are older than this CAI material! ➡️ Follow the link in my profile for info on where to get a chunk of meteorite with CAIs and many other amazing items featured here on @physicsfun#meteorite#carbonaceous#chondrite#CAIs#oldestmaterial#deeptime#physics#physicstoy#astronomy#astrophysics#physicsfun#geophysics#geophysicstoy#solarsystem#radiometricdating#inclusion#oldestrock#rockhound#ancient#mineral#geology#science#scienceisawesome