Why does amber perfectly preserve things from millions of years ago?

Question

I just don’t understand how there isn’t any decay at all, that’s crazy

In: 6

Answer 1

Things can still decompose inside amber. Stuff like insects look decent because the exoskeleton gets preserved, but you wouldn’t necessarily see an absence of decomposition of its internal structure. The amber itself keeps out oxygen, which can slow or prevent some forms of decomposition. That being said, if you covered a person in resin and it became amber, I think you’d still get a mess due to anaerobic decay from the bacteria the person brings with them.

You could likely get similar levels of preservation with another coating that denies oxygen equally well.