DETECTION OF ANOMALOUS ELEMENTS IN AMBER IN LOW CONCENTRATIONS USING THE NITON XL3T GOLDD+ PORTABLE XRF ANALYZER

In the summer of 2017, a collection of Cretaceous amber samples of a known locality were acquired for X-Ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). The analyses were conducted using a Thermo-Fisher Scientific Niton Xl3t GOLDD+ portable XRF tool to obtain the specific elemental composition of the samples. Their analyses showed the presence of iridium (7-15ppm ± 2σ), which is an element that is most commonly associated with meteorite impact events. Following this discovery, more samples were collected to expand the data collected into a more reliable and comprehensive suite. The second set of samples is presently pending radiometric dating but is believed to come from a locality in New Jersey. In addition to the presence of iridium, other trace elements associated with meteorite impact events were detected in this set, among them palladium (7-10ppm ± 2σ), iron (27-111ppm ± 2σ), and sulfur (0.31%-2.6% ± 2σ). These results were in similar concentrations to those detected in the initial collection of amber tested in 2017. To further diversify the overall collection, more samples of verified age and locality were collected most recently in the summer of 2019. A small quantity of approximately Miocene age amber from the Dominican Republic were acquired and tested for correlation to the already analyzed samples. The presence of iridium in this collection was not detected, though a significant and similar concentration of the aforementioned trace elements were present, with minute concentrations of uranium. The results across these collections may serve to rudimentarily catalog previously undiscovered meteorite impact events, though further research is required.