A recent study published in Scientific Reports found strange globs of tree resin (amber) mixed within claimed ancient (Cretaceous) deep-water sediments on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan.1 This is the first reported instance of amber in what’s interpreted as a deep ocean setting.
The research team, led by Aya Kubota from the Research Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment and on faculty at Chuo University, Tokyo, found amber in 30 separate layers with thicknesses varying from 0.75–106 inches within sandstone.1 Most of the amber was highly deformed and the sediments it was mixed with showed signs of soft-sediment deformation, including sand injections and flow and slump structures.1 These features are indicative of rapid deposition.