Researchers have discovered South America's first amber deposits preserving ancient insects in an Ecuadorian quarry. The 112-million-year-old find from the Hollín Formation offers insights into a prehistoric forest on the supercontinent Gondwana. This rare glimpse reveals a diverse ecosystem from the Cretaceous period.
In a breakthrough for paleontology, a team led by Xavier Delclòs unearthed amber samples in the Genoveva quarry within Ecuador's Oriente Basin. The discovery, detailed in a study published in Communications Earth & Environment in 2025, marks the first such deposits in South America containing bio-inclusions of insects.
The amber dates to approximately 112 million years ago, during the Cretaceous era, when the continents were separating from Gondwana. Amber, fossilized tree resin, became more prevalent between 120 and 70 million years ago, often trapping plants and animals for preservation. Previously, major deposits were confined to the Northern Hemisphere, limiting knowledge of Southern Hemisphere ecosystems.
Analysis of the samples revealed two types of amber: one formed underground near plant roots and another in the open air. From 60 samples of the latter, researchers identified 21 bio-inclusions across five insect orders, including Diptera (flies), Coleoptera (beetles), and Hymenoptera (ants and wasps). A fragment of spider web was also found. The surrounding rock yielded plant fossils such as spores, pollen, and other botanical traces.
These findings indicate the amber originated in a warm, humid forest rich in resin-producing trees and dense vegetation in southern Gondwana. The researchers, including Enrique Peñalver, Carlos Jaramillo, and others, emphasize that this resource enhances understanding of biodiversity during a pivotal time in Earth's history. The Hollín Formation, a sedimentary layer across the Oriente Basin, provided the context for this vivid snapshot of ancient life.