Paleocene amber from Sanshui Basin

Globally, amber-rich strata are primarily found in major geological intervals, particularly the Aptian-Albian of the Early Cretaceous and the Eocene, both of which coincide with greenhouse climate conditions (Pearson et al., 2007; Katz et al., 2008; Delclòs et al., 2023). However, despite the relatively warm temperatures of the Paleocene, amber from this epoch remains exceptionally rare, with no confirmed records reported to date. This scarcity may be linked to the limited exposure of Paleocene strata worldwide. The Late Cretaceous Canadian Big Muddy amber deposit (ca. 67 Ma) which represents one of the closest known occurrences to the K-Pg boundary (Loewen et al., 2024). Here, we report the first-ever discovery of Palaeocene amber from the Sanshui Basin, China, filling a critical gap in the fossil resin record.