amber amber amber amber amber amber...and more amber

[Phillip Bigelow <n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu>]

>Some time ago there was some conversation about the Amber used in the book,
>Jurassic Park.  As I remember the Amber was from Costa Rica.  This Amber was
>not of the correct age to have a biting insect that would have sucked blood
>from a dinosaur.  Does anyone still have that information?

   I forget where Crichton put the mines, but in real-life, Costa Rica has
no dinosaur-age amber. 
There are large amber mines in The Dominican Republic, but they are Tertiary 
rather than Mesozoic in age.  In North America, New Jersey, Mississippi,
and Alberta have the most extensive Cretaceous-age amber deposits. 
 
>Also, I came upon a book yesterday at Borders, "Life in Amber".  I believe
>the author is George Poenar Jr.  The book looked very interesting and was
>written in 1994 but I not sure if I want to spend the $55.00 for it.  Does
>anyone know this book?  

  Among a handful of other experts (such as Waggoner, Rob DeSalle,
and Szadziewski, among others), Poinar probably has the most comprehensive
knowlege of bugs in amber.  George's son (Hendrik??) has done some work
with bugs in amber, too.  Get the book if you can afford it.

  If you have college access to the science journal _Experimentia_, look at the
following new research papers on bugs in amber by Poinar:

      
 _Experimentia_, v.51(4), April 15, 1995, p. 391-? 

_Experimentia_, v.51(4), April 15, 1995, p. 384-?

and these too:

Szadziewski, R. 1994.  Biting Midges from Dominican amber...
  _Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Wa._:
  April 1, 1994, v.96(2), pp. 219-?

Waggoner, B.M. 1994. Upper Cretaceous amber of Mississippi.
  _Review of Paleaobotany and Palynology_, Jan. 01, 1994,
  v.80, no.1 / 2, pp. 75-?

<sorry about the incomplete refs. .... I yanked them off of CARL UNcover>