Pollen extraction from amber (Sparnacian of Le Quesnoy, Paris Basin): towards a new speciality in palaeo-palynology.

Some amber fragments from Le Quesnoy (Oise) yield pollen, confined in this fossil resin. An extraction method has been devised in order to observe it under light and scanning electron microscopes. This method consists of a pa rtial dissolution of the amber by organic solvents, which softens it and en ables dissection of the fragments. The extracted pollen appears to be in an excellent state of preservation. The three-dimensional shape of the pollen grains is well preserved and their cell contents are still present. Thus, this method opens numerous study fields of this peculiar palynoflora. The d iagnoses of the morphographic taxa observed, as well as their botanical rel ationships with modern taxa, can be re-examined. Other developments are exp lored, such as the study of the cell contents. (C) 2000 Academie des scienc es / Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.