A new approach to analysing the origin and occurrence of amber-bearing deposits of the Upper Eocene, northern Lublin area, SE Poland

Abstract

Eocene sedimentation in the Lublin region reached its peak in the Middle Eocene, followed by a regression in the Late Eocene, which was accompanied by accumulation of significant amber deposits in the North Lublin area. These deposits, located along the south-eastern coast of the Eocene, reflect the abundant resin production in diverse forests during the climatic optimum of the Eocene. Recent research has challenged the earlier notion that amber deposits formed in river deltas and linked them to regressive marine facies. Amber is typically found in low-energy, regressive rock layers such as silt and sand, and its distribution could be significantly affected by environmental changes influencing its secondary occurrence. A recent study focusing on the North Lublin region modelled the structural surface of the Upper Cretaceous to identify areas of amber-bearing deposits. Using data from the PITAKA, Bank HYDRO and Central Geological Archive databases, a comprehensive surface of the Upper Cretaceous at the sub-basin scale was created using ArcGIS software. This approach enabled a better understanding of the paleo-depositional subsurface of the Paleogene deposits. The analysis identified 84 different amber-bearing fields covering a total area of 891.5 km², which corresponds to almost 14% of the study area in the northern Lublin region. These results emphasise the influence of the palaeomorphology of the Late Eocene basin on sediment dynamics in amber-bearing areas. This paper describes a new depositional model for the Eocene amber-bearing formations in the Lublin region and indicates potential amber deposits in this region.