Overview

• Researchers report the first Mesozoic terrestrial arthropods in South American amber from the early Albian Hollín Formation in Ecuador, published in Communications Earth & Environment.
• The Genoveva Quarry deposit is described as the continent’s most extensive insect‑containing amber, including a roughly 70‑centimeter‑thick layer with thousands of pieces.
• Analysis of 60 samples revealed 21 bioinclusions from five insect orders plus a spider‑web fragment, alongside spores, pollen and other plant remains.
• Two resin formation pathways are documented—subterranean root‑derived amber and aerial amber—signaling varied deposition within the ancient forest.
• Evidence indicates a humid, low‑latitude setting on Gondwana and includes the earliest known angiosperm leaf assemblage from north‑western South America, with further fieldwork planned to probe links to other Gondwanan regions.