On a regional basis, the following groups of amber are best known:
1. Baltic (includes: Russian, Polish, German (Saxon), Danish, Swedish)
2. Ukrainian
3. Dominican
Let's take a closer look at these deposits.
Russia
The largest amber deposit in the world is located here. It is located on the Baltic coast of the Kaliningrad (Sambian) peninsula in the vicinity of the village of Yantarny. According to expert estimates, about 90% of the world's amber reserves with an age of about 50 million years are concentrated here.
The field is divided into 3 sections: Palmnikensky, Primorsky (mining since 1976), Plyazhevy (produced 500-600 tons of raw materials per year, operated from 1972-2003). Geological exploration has identified new potential areas for development, the total reserve of which is approximately 300,000 tons. The potential of the Palmnikensky and Primorsky quarries are estimated at about 116,000 tons (if we take an output of 500 tons per year, then the deposit can produce amber for more than 200 years).
The extraction of amber is carried out by an open pit method. The area of the quarry is almost 1,500,000 sq. meters. The amber-bearing layer (blue earth) of glauconite sand lies at a depth of 40-60 m (sometimes up to 100 m).
On average, 1 cubic meter of blue earth "gives away" 500-600 g of amber, sometimes there are accumulations of up to 4,500 g per cubic meter. The size of the pieces varies from a few millimeters to 15-20 centimeters. There are exclusive specimens up to 30-40 cm. Most of the mined Russian amber is succinite (98%), 2% is gedanite (wax-yellow amber). Unique amber samples weighing more than 500 g are not so common.
Annual production is several tens of kilograms. Fractions, the weight of which is equal to or exceeds 1 kg, are equated to precious ones. The volume of annual production ranges from 300-350 tons.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, in the Rivne region, there is another well-known amber deposit. Quarries are scattered in a kind of triangle - near the villages of Sarny, Klesovo and Dubrovitsy.
Amber lies close to the surface of the earth (3-10 meters), and therefore its extraction is much cheaper than in the Kaliningrad region. But this has little effect on the market price, since raw material is mined in small quantities.
1 cubic meter of earth contains approximately 250 g of amber, sometimes the accumulation can reach 1000 g. The average size fractions 1-10 cm, less often up to 15 cm. Sometimes pieces weighing more than 1 kg are found. 3-5 tons of amber are mined per year. According to expert estimates, amber reserves are approximately 1500 tons.
Germany
In the east of Germany, in Saxony-Anhalt, there is a deposit of "Saxon amber", whose age is estimated at about 22 million years. A coal quarry was once laid near the city of Bitterfeld, and a little later, amber deposits were discovered here, the only ones in these lands.
According to its properties, Saxon succinite is similar to Kaliningrad. An important difference is the crust fractions. Pieces of amber may or may not have an oxidation crust. Plant or animal inclusions are identical to inclusions in Kaliningrad amber.
Behind last years before flooding, on average, amber production was about 28 tons per year. During the period from 1975 to 1990, the land gave away more than 400 tons of amber. In 1998, the mining site was decided to be reclaimed (reclamation - land restoration). Quarry flooded. The process lasted 4 years. Potential amber reserves are estimated at about 1000 tons. In the meantime, the quarry, which has become an amber lake, accepts tourists.
Dominican Republic
The next well-known amber deposit is located on the island of Hispaniola (Haiti - the local name), which is divided between the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti. Active mining of raw materials is carried out only in the Dominican Republic.
The age of mountain amber is 15-40 million years, and it is mined in the Cordillera at an altitude of 500-1200 meters. These are rather hard-to-reach places, so mining is carried out by small artels of miners, 5-10 people each.
Most often, there is no full development of mines, which can reach a depth of up to 100 meters. The lack of qualified miners and difficult working conditions interfere. The color palette of mountain amber: blue, green, cognac, red-yellow. Almost all mined pieces are transparent, very often there are inclusions of ancient flora or fauna. Dominican amber is second in importance after the Baltic amber.
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The Baltic Sea is restless. Today there is a storm of three points, no one goes swimming, but many tourists and locals are combing the coast in search of amber. On such days, the Baltic with redoubled fury throws amber ashore. With fury, because the Baltic does not like to share its wealth ...
- Even 10 years ago there was a lot of amber here, we collected it in childhood. And now it's all gone, - the hotel administrator shares his memories with me.
- How did you collect it, if you can distinguish its horseradish from another stone, - I'm interested.
- Ouch! Yes, very easy! To the tooth! If it is soft, then it is amber, if it is hard, it means glass, but, of course, we are talking about small pebbles,- says my interlocutor.
However, there are many legends in Kaliningrad and its environs, about how in the spring someone, somewhere, caught a piece of amber almost the size of a soccer ball, and either a lizard or a fish sat in it ... Ask the locals residents - they will tell you everything in colors.
Inclusions in amber stones are called inclusions, usually these are particles of air or small debris. If it is an animal, even an ant, the price of such a stone is comparable to a good diamond, despite the fact that amber belongs to the category of semi-precious stones.
There are more and more people wishing to find amber every year. They walk along the shore hoping to find at least something, but in fact only a professional can distinguish amber from an ordinary pebble. In appearance, raw amber is not much different from the stones that the wave throws in abundance on the coast. The only amber quarry in the world is located in the Kaliningrad region. It is there that the “stone of the sun”, as amber is often called, is mined. A beautiful legend is connected with his appearance, when the son of the sun god Helios stole a chariot from him and approached the Earth at a dangerous distance. By the way, the Sahara desert, according to the same legend, was formed precisely because of this. Zeus the Thunderer saw the danger and struck down both the chariot and the son of Helios. The daughters of Helios mourned him, and their tears turned into amber, which is now washed ashore by the waves. Scientists have a different opinion on this matter - tens of thousands of years ago, tree species were under water, subsequently the resin turned to stone and is now the mineral that we call amber. What to believe in is up to you, but how amber is mined - let's see together.
01. Calm in the Baltic in one night was replaced by a storm. Waves roll on the shore and rustle under my windows
02. Everything that is thrown ashore by a wave and not dragged back is considered as a possible artifact
03. Seagulls feel great in a storm in the Baltic - the wave throws small fish to the surface, which is what birds use
04. An epidemic of amber search captures almost all visitors - young and old...
05. After wandering along the promenade and finding a few pebbles similar to amber, we decided to move to the area of industrial diamond mining, or as they say here. With emphasis on the first syllable.
06. Production is located about 30 kilometers from Kaliningrad, in a city called Yantarny, formerly Palmniken, although handicraftsmen can be found throughout the region and beyond, for example, in neighboring Lithuania
07. The only amber quarry in the world is located here. The locals are extremely proud of this.
08. There is also an illegal amber quarry in the vicinity, any taxi driver will take you there for little money, but even before landing you will be warned that it is better to look at it from far away - there is nothing to do there without special equipment, and for excessive curiosity you can not only photographic equipment lose, but it’s also good to rake in a tambourine. "Black miners" do not like excessive attention to themselves.
09. "Walking excavator" - the main machine in the quarry. There are two of them in total. Look, the usual yellow excavator that we can see in the city is working on the right. compare the sizes ... The quarry is very dusty from the sand, which the wind drives in all directions. The work of an amber prospector is harmful. Sand penetrates anywhere, it is impossible to hide from it, after five minutes of being in the mine, your eyes begin to water, and the sand crunches on your teeth.
10. Up to 400 kg are mined here per day. breeds. It is rocks that are not yet amber. Work is carried out throughout the year. In general, a quarry and a factory are inherently a well-fortified military base - there are thorns and guards everywhere. Moreover, local residents are not taken on guard - security guards from St. Petersburg work here on a rotational basis. The approaches to the quarry are surrounded by an impenetrable green hedge of wild rose and sea buckthorn - and the aesthetics of the places are not violated, and the economy on the fence, and the slopes are strengthened. Three in one.
11. Tourists are offered to feel like miners themselves and look for amber in the worked-out area, where mining is not carried out. Nearby for clarity is a bucket from a walking excavator.
12. Found small amber can be safely put in your pocket and taken away for souvenirs or crafts. Large breeds are selected.
13. Amber lies at a depth of 30-49 meters and the final process of its extraction looks like this - using a net in a layer of blue clay, diluted sea water, which is supplied here under pressure, rocks are caught, which are then sent for processing to a nearby plant. You have already seen it, now we will go there after the stones.
14. For tourists, a pyramid of amber was erected near the mine. Its height is 3.2 meters. If they don’t lie, it took 800 kg to make it. amber. Near the mine, everyone can take pictures, by the way, for free! Dressed as a Teutonic Knight. It was they who in the 13th century established a monopoly on the extraction and trade of amber. The Prussians who lived in these places for a long time could not understand what was the matter, the stone was literally lying under their feet. They pitched ships, used as ignition for fires. The fact that across the ocean it has a very high cost, the naive Prussians did not even guess. By the way, who does not know - amber burns beautifully and breaks easily. Especially for men - amber and rosin are about the same, the difference is only in time. Amber is tens of thousands of times older than rosin.
15. Military helicopters often loiter in the sky above the quarry and above the plant.
16. From the mine, the rock is delivered to the plant, where sorting begins. The process is carried out manually, the work is very monotonous and only the beautiful half of humanity can master it.
17. Remember, I said that you can distinguish amber from an ordinary horseradish stone with an unprofessional eye? That is why it is not yet amber, I am a breed with impurities and other shit. It is worse when amber is not of the usual sunny color, but white, pink and even black...
18. After sorting into fractions, the rock is sent for processing. In fact, this is a Soviet washing machine- the same drum, only on the days and walls of the diamond coating. The drum is spinning, water is supplied, impurities are separated. The output is already amber.
20. After the amber migrates to another drum for fine grinding
21. It is made with glass beads.
22. From there, amber follows for processing. Depending on the size, the stones are again sorted and processed by hand on machines.
23. Depending on what I will do with amber - cubes, triangles, ovals are obtained ...
24. Or balls... This is for making rings or beads
25. After processing, the remains of amber are also used. relatively large particles are used for crafts, here many people like to make pictures from pieces of amber or frame frames with them, small ones are used to prepare alcohol amber tincture, and are completely ground into powder. Diluted in half with baby cream, this powder serves as a medicine for joint pain, and is also used as a scrub or mask.
26. After the processed amber falls into the hands of the masters. They asked them not to take it off. It is polished again and further becomes an ornament, depending on the master's intention.
27. In the vicinity there is another mine called "Anna". This tragic place at the very end of the Great Patriotic War the Nazis shot 4,000 Jews here, after which the mine was flooded. The water was pumped out, but the work of the mine was not resumed, after the war people began to disappear in the mines, primarily the children of immigrants, and all the entrances to it were walled up, although there are actually many voids under the Kaliningrad region. Locals say that this is one of the reasons why the subway is not being built in Kaliningrad, but when asked: why the hell is it needed in a city with a population of 350 thousand people, they remain silent. In the photo, one of the walled-up entrances to the mine.
28. Not so long ago, the Jewish community erected a monument at this place - hands stretching to the sky from underground, more precisely from a walled up, and before that, a flooded mine. On January 30, on the day of the execution of 4,000 people, a memorial service for the dead is held here.
29. Meanwhile, the sea continues to throw amber ashore...
30. Those who walked along the coast for nothing today were not especially upset. They will come here tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or at the beginning of spring: when the season of storms is on the sea. On such days, the Baltic with redoubled fury throws amber ashore. With fury, because the Baltic does not like to share its wealth ...
Until recently, the only deposit of amber on the planet was considered to be well-known to many Baltic. However, in recent times about 200 more places of occurrence of this solar stone were discovered and studied. Most of them are within Europe. But there are such deposits also in Asia, South and North America, Australia.
Where to find amber in Russia
In Russia, as well as in the whole world, the main deposit of solar stone is still Baltiyskoe. It is located near the village of Yantarny on the Baltic Sea. Hundreds of tons of amber are mined here every year. However, in Russia there are also small deposits of this stone in the Urals and Sakhalin. A very large field - Kolesovo-Dubrovitskoye - was discovered not so long ago in Ukraine.
To find out more precisely where to find amber, you should first of all study the layout of its deposits on the map. Sunstone deposits are located on Earth in the form of a grid of straight and broken lines. Below is the "amber" grid for Central Europe.
The richest amber-bearing vein runs on this map, as you can see, from the Yutlad peninsula through the Kaliningrad region and Finland. She then moves to the side Kola Peninsula, and then through the Arctic Ocean passes towards the "Amber Crown" of the planet.
Can private individuals mine gems in Russia?
Free diligence in our country, unfortunately, is prohibited by law. You can search for gems and gold, but only after concluding an agreement with some large mining company. Although the authorities, for example, in some regions of the Urals periodically promise to allow free mining of gems ordinary people, such a law at the moment (2017) has not yet been adopted. Therefore, the information below is provided to the reader for informational purposes only. Of course, it is not worth engaging in black diligence before the adoption of the relevant law. This can result in a large fine or even criminal liability. In Ukraine, prospecting is also prohibited by law.
Features of offshore production
The simplest answer to the question of where to find amber is, of course, the Baltic Sea. In this region, the extraction of solar stone, in principle, can be carried out even simply using nets. In particular, there are many stones on the coast and shallow water appears during small storms. During this period, the water throws out a lot of solar pebbles. Silt and debris are picked up with a net. Further, they are simply viewed for the presence of amber. In this way, you can get quite a lot of stones, including quite large ones. Most of the amber in the Baltic was once found in those places where a lot of black mud was nailed by the sea.
Sometimes amber on the Baltic Sea after a storm can be found right on the shore - in the sand. Too much sun stone in this way, of course, you will not get. But with a certain amount of patience, it will still be possible to find several small ambers (and possibly large ones).
Mining on water pipes
This method of searching for amber is used mainly in Ukraine. Water pipes (mines) are located in this country along the banks of rivers. Finding them is quite difficult. But the thing is still quite doable. There are water pipes, by the way, not only in Ukraine, but also in many other places on the planet. In Russia, they can also be searched along the banks of rivers. By the way, in water pipes you can find not only amber, but also other gems and even diamonds. Such mini-mines can be hollows on the shore flooded with water, stone "rivers", etc. Experienced prospectors also determine the pipes by color (usually it is darker or lighter than the main rock). Such mines can be located both on the shore and directly in the water. In Ukraine, natural amber lies in them at a depth of about 5 meters. The companion of the sun stone in this country is always blue or blue clay.
Amber in the forest and near the river
Unfortunately, there is no reliable information about the finds of amber in the forests of Russia. However, it is known for sure that in the Zhytomyr region prospectors find amber right in the coniferous forests. In this case, their helpers are often, oddly enough, moles. Digging out passages, these animals "carry out" to the surface, including blue clay. And she, as already mentioned, is a constant companion of amber. Seeing blue clay in a molehill, the prospectors simply make an excavation at this place several meters deep.
How to find amber in the forest, we found out. But sometimes this stone can be found just on the surface of the earth along the banks of rivers. In this case, it is better to search in the spring after a flood or after a heavy rain. At this time, the water washes out of the ground a lot of the stones in it, among which it may be. It is also considered that best time search is early spring. During this period, there is still no vegetation on the banks. And consequently, the stones are more visible.
The easiest way to find amber on the river bank is with the help of an ultraviolet flashlight. Such a device today can be purchased at almost any kiosk. Under ultraviolet rays, amber, unlike other stones, begins to glow with a very beautiful blue light. You can also distinguish sunstone from other minerals by weight. The stone is actually very light. By weight, it resembles, for example, the same rosin.
What is amber, how this solar stone is mined - these are important questions, and even of national importance. Especially for some countries - suppliers of solar stone, where the extraction of amber is regulated by law. Interest at the highest level is due to the profitability of the industry. This is not only a jewelry sphere, the mineral has valuable medical and technical properties.
People have been mining gems since ancient times. And for a very long time the fishery was spontaneous. This continued until the 18th century, until the Teutonic Order introduced monopoly rights to the search and processing of the gem. This is how the basics of amber production were born, which, although it is carried out in various parts light, concentrated in the Baltic region.
Types of amber deposits
There are many places in the world where amber is mined. Almost all of them are little studied, except for Primorskoye, which is the largest amber deposit in Russia. The nature of the origin of many amber-bearing sites is still unclear. Mineralogists divide them into primary (formed in the once forest area) and secondary (placers).
Of the primary ones today, one can name the Fushunskoye in China, sites on Far East and development of amber in Alaska (USA), Canada, Austria. Large pieces of the mineral have never been found here, so this type of mining site has no industrial importance.
Placers (secondary deposits) differ in that they are removed, and sometimes significantly from the area of their initial occurrence. After all, the mineral is unique in its density (more than 1.0) and buoyancy in water. Therefore, there are accumulations of the gem on the rivers of Alaska, at the foot of the relief in Germany, Russia, on the Dnieper.
The largest placer of the mineral is a deposit from the Baltic to the Curonian Spit, which is located 4-15 m below sea level; amber concentration here is 0.2 kg/m2. During storms, secondary deposits are washed out, and the raging Baltic Sea throws sea amber onto the shores. For example, in Latvia this type of gem production is the basis of the amber industry.
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The reserves of the gem, which lie deep underground, are also considered secondary. This phenomenon is observed in Belarus, in the Gomel and Brest regions. People, digging peat by hand, find a sun stone. This even provoked an "amber fever" among the local population with the consequences of black fishing and illegal use of amber veins.
Modern coastal-marine placers are widespread along the shores of not only the Baltic Sea, but also other seas and oceans (Mediterranean, Black, Arctic Ocean). Some of them contain the mineral "glauconite" in the sedimentary rock, which gives the amber-bearing layers a turquoise hue, from which the name "blue earth" was born.
Such amber deposits are distributed mainly in the Baltic-Dnieper province, stretching from the line North Sea through Denmark, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. And among the ways how amber is mined, the technology of washing the blue earth is popular today.
The main world suppliers of gem
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Amber reserves on the planet are usually characterized by three types of gem: Baltic amber, Caribbean and cave amber. The last type is a man-made heritage from a gem, which was inherited from distant crafty ancestors. Archaeological excavations, point finds in ancient caves, decoration and accompaniment of cult burials often become a source of amber products and unique stone samples. The situation is different with the Baltic and Caribbean gems, the “geographical” names themselves speak of their origin.
Baltic amber
This stone, mainly its variety - succinite, comes from the Baltic countries. The industrial scale, which provided the predominant share of the world's mineral reserves (up to 90%), was acquired by its extraction in the Kaliningrad region, in Russia. Since 1947, the specialized JSC Kaliningrad Amber Combine has been operating here, which controls the operation of the largest quarries created on the basis of the oldest deposit in the world - Palmikenskoye.
The names of the Kaliningrad villages Filino, Yantarny, Sinyavino are firmly associated by connoisseurs with the birthplace of the sun stone. The Russian gem of Baltic origin is recognized as the best jewelry amber raw material in terms of size and quality.
Caribbean Amber
It is often referred to as Dominican. This stone is mined in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The Caribbean zone gives the world 300 kg per year. Moreover, the gem was obtained mainly by manual labor.
Dominican amber has its own value, this is the only place in the world where you can find amber with unique inclusions - various reptiles (ancient frogs, lizards), which are perfectly visible through the transparent texture of the mineral. The Baltic gem loses a little here: the fauna of its inclusions is insects. Dominican stone also happens blue color, quite rare in the amber palette.
These are the main regions and their deposits. Countries less rich in the mineral can supplement the amber map. These are Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, Italy (Sicily), USA, Germany, Japan, Canada, Romania, Poland, Myanmar.
From net to hydromechanics: how amber is mined
From the moment that ancient man I saw a noticeable golden-honey pebble under my feet, a lot of sea waters rushed to the shores. And with them and amber placers. So people began to understand how to look for amber. Nets appeared in their hands, with which the gem was fished out of the tangle of algae from the depths of the sea. They were replaced by peaks and devices that harrowed the bottom. A floating gem appeared on the surface, and dexterous miners harvested it.
The 17th century is a progressive period in the field of gem mining. The first mines and prototypes of quarries appear. And although these methods turned out to be unprofitable, the basics of industrial production were laid, which was greatly developed in the 20th century. Nowadays, ways to find amber deposits have scientific and technical base. And the process itself is divided into several stages:
- The top layer of soil is cut off with an excavator bucket.
- The removed rock is placed in special separating machines.
- Loose sediments are screened out.
- The remaining stones are sorted by hand, amber is separated from the rest.
But the most advanced method for today is hydromechanical. The upper, “empty” soil layer is dumped by a powerful hydraulic monitor into the sea, and the subsequent layer containing minerals is immersed in the pipeline and delivered to the processing plant. Further, the procedure for selecting minerals and amber is carried out as described above.
Harvesting the Sun Gem is hard work. But, as the experience of epochs shows, a person is weak before the magic of stones and metal. The amber rush, like the gold rush, continues. And people will look for new ways to discover new amber pantries of nature.
Let's talk about what amber is, how and where it is mined.
This resin will take a very long time before it becomes a stone.
About what amber is, there have been heated debates among scientists for a long time. But now it is known for sure.
Amber is resin. It is mined as a fossil mineral. Used as and in . In ancient times, this mineral was used as a fuel because it burns well.
Due to different climatic conditions, the mineral has its own unique color in each area. Therefore, the Baltic stone cannot be confused with the Caribbean or with any other. Each stone has its own regional features.
Origin of amber
Even ancient scientists came to the conclusion that amber is of plant origin. Roman scientists Pliny and Tacitus pointed out a specific vegetable smell when rubbing the mineral, as well as the fact that small animals also. Tacitus believed that amber is the frozen juice of plants that fell into the sea.
The 16th century German mineralogist Agricola believed that the mineral was of inorganic origin.
In the 18th century, the theory of plant origin was confirmed by the Swede Linnaeus, a famous botanist. A little later, a Russian came to the same conclusion. scientist Mikhail Lomonosov.
Scientists have proved that the amber stone, which is now mined, was formed more than 40 million years ago from amber-bearing pines, that is, it is of plant origin. At that time they were growing in North America, Greenland, Eurasia. Under the influence climatic conditions resin was released, which petrified and fell over the years. The coming sea carried her away from the shores.
