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Myanmar Amber
Myanmar Amber, also known as Burmite is found in the Kachin State Region of Northern Myanmar. Burmite is becoming increasingly appreciated as a window into the Cretaceous Period. The location of Burmese Amber was unknown for a longtime creating an air of fascination, and today it can still only be found in the upper regions of Burma. While lots of pieces resemble other types of amber with the soft yellow colour you’ll notice in many pieces a mystical deep red colour, and calming blues and greens set it apart from other species of Amber. These formations could be the result of a number of factors including the type of tree resin produced, the form of sediment containing the fossilized material, the high pressure or elevate temperatures it could have been subjected to

The first Burmite-specific Amber Museum opened in downtown Yangon in early 2019. The exhibitions of the Myanmar Amber Museum celebrate the importance of Burmite to the understanding of Cretaceous Flora and Fauna, and makes Burmite accessible to both academics and those with an elementary interest in Amber.

Properties and Formula
Formula - Approximately C10H16O + (H2S)

Colour - Burmite also takes on Deep Red, Blue and Green but also takes on the more common Yellow and Orange colours. It is different to other ambers because it doesn't contain Succincic Acid.

Class - Mineraloids

Luster - Resin

Transparency - Transparent to Translucent

Crystal System - Does not apply because amber is amorphous meaning it does not have a structure

Fracture - Conchoidal

Hardness - Burmite can be as hard as 3+ but others can be 2+

Specific Gravity - Approximately 1.1 (Extremely light and can float in salty water)

Notable Occurrences - Myanmar (Kachin State) for Burmite.

Best field Indicators - Trapped insects and plants, colour, density, toughness, hard to crack or chip.

Burmite Specimens - Mostly incorporate fossils.

Origins
Burmite Amber comes from a type of conifer tree which is now extinct known as Araucariaceae which have been linked to present day Kauri Pines and Monkey Puzzle Trees. It is possible that Myanmar Amber could come from another species of pine tree.

Age
For the first 80 years of the study into Burmite many scientists thought it to be from the Eocene/Miocene era. But there had been considerations of the Cretaceous period by, which was largely based on the insect inclusions. In 1995 Alexander Rasnitsyn studied a collection of Burmite from the Natural History Museum London. During the study he identified the inclusions as a type of insect from the cretaceous period, in particular an extinct family of ants ‘Sphecomyrminae’. These findings make Burmite Amber at least twice the age of many other Amber’s, as many of the samples date back to 99 million years ago at a time where Dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Mining Sites
Burmese Amber has been mined for thousands of years in Hukawng Valley of Kachin State in Burma. Trade into China began very early in 100AD. Gem traders will cut and polish the amber and then travel to the markets around Burma to sell it. If there is an inclusion inside they are just happy for the extra income it brings.

Relevance
Education on the importance of Burmite has already begun in some communities in Myanmar. It is a unique type of amber and many stories will unfold through researching it. The local communities in Myanmar use amber to make pillows as it gives off an earthy pine scent. Burmte is less likely to crack or chip than other Amber and so is used for contemporary jewellery and sculpting. Amber

Types Of Inclusions
Flora and Fauna from the Cenomanian era (late Cretaceous period) 2018 in arthropod paleontology. The inclusions include many ants, beetles, spiders, leeches, plant matter etc.