Microscopic amber fragments discovered inside coal from northwest China’s Hujiersite Formation date back 385 million years, pushing back the known origin of amber by at least 65 million years. The Middle Devonian discovery predates both seed plants and when vertebrates left water, raising new questions about ancient resin-producing flora.
Unearthing Devonian Resin in Xinjiang Coal
Scientists examining bits of coal from the Hujiersite Formation in northwest China have uncovered fossilized resin particles dating to an extraordinary 385 million years ago, according to reporting published in . Previously, the oldest known amber dated to around 330 million years ago from plants of the Late Carboniferous period. This new find pushes back the verified origin of amber by at least 65 million years, placing the sticky plant substance in the Middle Devonian epoch.
At this deep point in geological history, vertebrates had not yet left the water, and terrestrial landscapes were dominated not by modern plants, but by a mix of unusual, long-extinct groups such as progymnosperms and cladoxylopsids. According to Iflscience, the discovery came as researchers sifted through coal, which naturally forms from plant material and helps scientists reconstruct ancient environments.
Isolation and Chemical Verification of Microscopic Amber
The physical scale of the discovery is minuscule. Most of the recovered fragments measure between just 0.1 to 0.5 millimeters across, with the largest specimen reaching approximately 1.5 millimeters. Under ultraviolet light, the pieces display a strong blue fluorescence, which initially tipped off the research team to their presence.
Cihang Luo noted that the true surprise lay beyond merely finding resin-like particles. The team successfully isolated the specimens and proved through infrared spectroscopy and GC-MS/MS analyses that they were genuine amber. Analysis of the chemical components indicated that the fragments originated from conifer-type plants, though no amber was found directly connected to preserved secretory structures or diagnostic plant tissue.
Clues from Extinct Flora and Ancient Wildfires
For a long time, the scientific consensus held that amber was exclusively associated with seed plants—the broad category encompassing most modern trees and shrubs. That understanding shifted in 2022 when ancient amber produced by seed ferns was discovered. This latest finding pushes the timeline back even further, to an era before seed plants existed at all.
Because the source plants left no direct tissue connections in the coal, researchers are looking at the most plausible candidates within the Hujiersite Flora. According to the study, the leading possibilities are progymnosperms—the extinct ancient ancestors of all coniferous and flowering plants—and tree-like lycopsids, which survive today as clubmosses. Unlike modern resin production triggered by insect damage, the research team believes these ancient plants secreted the sticky substance to defend against frequent wildfires or infections by plant-parasitic fungi.
What Remains Unexplored in Organic-Rich Sediments
While this milestone marks the earliest discrete amber pieces that can be isolated and independently verified through chemical analyses, researchers emphasize that the geological record may hold even older secrets. Cihang Luo points out that the current documentation does not mean earlier plants failed to produce resin, noting that older microscopic occurrences may still remain undiscovered waiting inside organic-rich sediments.
