late Oligocene in age, was first reported by Christopher 
Columbus during his second voyage to the West Indies. 
This amber contains small fragments of wood, leaves and 
flowers, as well as insects. The plant source again is not 
known, but Sanderson and Farr (1960) indicated the 
possibility of pines, as the amber possesses a strong pine- 
like odor when sawed or scratched with a file. Small 
traces of amber also have been noted in a core sample 
from a lignite deposit in the Central Plateau of Haiti. 
Simetite occurs in outcrops along streams in the cen- 
tral part of Sicily, near Mt. Etna, where it is associated 
usually with lignites. It is famous both for its beautiful 
colorss being ruby-red to opalescent-blue, and also its 
strong fluorescence. hese characters, in addition to its 
hardness, the presence of sulphur and little succinic acid, 
distinguish it from succinite (Helm, 1881). Neither the 
geologic nor plant source has been discussed, although 
Helm questioned whether it differs essentially from the 
Baltic succinite or merely has been altered by geologic 
processes. 
Rumanite is mined from a blue earth in Miocene sand- 
stones in several localities in Rumania (Protescu, 1937). 
Although these are not extensive deposits, the amber 
has been known and used for centuries. Amber is known 
also from the Ukraine (Khandros, 1941), and a resin 
similar to rumanite has also been found in Poland (Helm, 
1891). Rumanite has a wide color range varying from 
yellow, rose-red, to dark smoky-gray. It contains many 
cracks, giving it an iridescent aspect, and it is highly fluo- 
rescent. These and other physical and chemical characters 
led Helm to believe that rumanite was different from 
succinite. Organic remains appear to be rare, and specific 
botanical derivation characteristically has not been dis- 
cussed. 
Amber of a dark reddish-brown color and an impure 
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