Experimental maturation of pine resin in sediment to investigate the formation of synthetic copal and amber

Abstract Experimentally simulating fossil resin formation would improve our understanding of copal/amber and could simulate the diagenesis of resin inclusions. Resin from living Pinus underwent sediment-encased maturation under various temperature and pressure conditions. Light microscopy suggests that matured resin dries, possibly hardens, and darkens into a brittle, yellow–orange–brown translucent mass with increased luster, exhibiting flow lines, birefringence, conchoidal fracturing, and air pockets typical of copal/amber. Leached components were observed in the sediment. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that matured resins have spectra