Simetite

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Simetite is the name for a fossil resin, presumably Upper Miocene, from the Mediterranean island of Sicily . The amber usually has a weathering crust that makes it appear black. Without weathering bark, the then transparent pieces are always reddish to deep red. It is not uncommon for the pieces to fluoresce blue or green.

history

Historical researchers concluded from the more detailed description of the Lyncurion mentioned by Theophrastus of Eresus (372–287 BC) in his work About the stones that this substance was very likely simetite. Archaeological excavations in Syracuse have revealed amber finds identified as simetite, which date back to the 6th / 7th centuries. Century AD. On the other hand, no evidence has been found so far for the assumption that some of the additions in ancient Egyptian graves were also simetite.

It is certain that in the 17th / 18th Century local collections existed, with which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, among others , came into contact on his trip to Italy (1786–1788). In this context, Goethe mentions the collection in Palazzo Biscari in Catania. These collections, however, have not stood the test of time. Organic inclusions in locally found amber were mentioned in a paper from the beginning of the 19th century by F. Ferrara, a Sicilian natural scientist.

The name Simetit goes back to Helm and Conwentz , who scientifically examined the fossil resin and named it in a publication published in 1886 after Simeto , which flows south of Catania into the Mediterranean Sea .

Find area

The current find area of ​​the Simetit is the sea coast a little south of Catania near the mouth of the Simeto; on the south coast, about halfway between the cities of Agrigento and Gela, is the mouth of the Salso, which once also washed Simetit onto the coast of Sicily.

From historical reports it can be deduced that simetite was found earlier both on the coasts near the mouth of the Simeto and on the south coast of Sicily, near the mouth of the Salso at Licata . In Anglo-Saxon literature, this amber variation is sometimes referred to as Catanite because of its occurrence in the mouth of the Simeto near Catania . Since both rivers are fed by waters of a mountainous landscape in the center of Sicily, it is reasonable to assume that the simetite deposit is also to be found here. In reports from the 18th century, some sites are also mentioned that are located exactly in this mountainous landscape in central Sicily: In a triangle that is formed from the villages of Petralia , Nicosia and Enna . Today, however, simetite is only found on the east coast of Sicily (near the mouth of the Simeto) and only in small quantities.

Age

From the historical reports on simetite sites, the area of ​​origin of the fossil resin can be limited to such an extent that its deposit is assumed to be in sediments that were formed in the Upper Miocene / Lower Pliocene and are locally exposed in this area. At this time, about 6–5 million years ago, the Messinian Salinity Crisis also occurred , during which the Mediterranean partially dried out and for some time released areas on which vegetation could develop.

Finds of a fossil resin from the Apennines , which is very similar to simetite and which is clearly Oligocene , have also led to the assumption that the resin from the Apennines and simetite are of the same origin .

Botanical origin and organic inclusions

The botanical origin of the simetite is not known. However, some findings on the (not particularly common) organic inclusions suggest the possibility that the resin donor could have been a deciduous tree. In particular, the rock beetles ( Platypodidae ) and termites , which are relatively common compared to fossil resins attributable to conifers , as well as inclusions of angiosperm fragments, support this assumption. However, chemical analyzes have also led to the proposal to trace the origin of the resin back to a member of the araucarias family .

literature

  • Otto Helm: communications about amber. VII. About Apennine amber. In: Writings of the Natural Research Society in Danzig. Volume V, Heft 3, Danzig 1882, pp. 11-14.
  • Otto Helm: communications about amber. V. On Sicilian Amber. In: Writings of the Natural Research Society in Danzig. Volume V, Heft 3, Danzig 1882, pp. 8-9.
  • R. Köhring, Th. Schlueter: The Sicilian amber - the simetite. In: Amber - Tears of the Gods. Bochum 1996, ISBN 3-921533-57-0 , pp. 377-382.
  • Günter Krumbiegel and Brigitte Krumbiegel: Bernstein - Fossil Resins from all over the world. Fossils, special volume 7, Weinstadt 1994, ISBN 3-926129-16-6 .
  • Patty C. Rice: Amber - The Golden Gem Of The Ages. 2nd Edition. New York 1987, ISBN 0-917007-20-5 .

Individual evidence

Most of the information in this article has been taken from the sources given under literature; the following sources are also cited:

  1. ↑ K. Andrée: The amber and its meaning in the natural sciences and humanities, art and applied arts, technology, industry and trade. Koenigsberg 1937.
  2. ↑ George C. Williamson: The Book of Amber. London 1932.
  3. ^ O. Helm, H. Conwentz: Sull 'ambra die Sicilia. In: Malphigia. 1, 1886; quoted in Köhring and Schlüter 1996.
  4. ^ JD Allen: Amber and its substitutes. Pt.2 Mineral analysis. In: The Bead Journal. Los Angeles 1976, pp. 11-21.
  5. ↑ A. Nissenbaum, D. Yakir: Stable Isotope Composition of Amber. In: Amber, Resinite, and Fossil Resins. ACS Symposium Series 617, Washington, DC, 1995.