Skip to content

Extreme macro and Paleontology

  • Home
  • Extreme Macro Photography
    • Amber gallery
      • How to photograph insects in amber
      • Using polarized light
    • Insects
    • Microfossils
  • Tech Side
    • The tube system
    • Short lens tube
    • “The System”
    • The MJKZZ Vertical Stand
    • Diffusers and Results
    • Diffuser dome
    • Cylindric LED lighting system DB120EB
      • Kit for the DB120EB illuminator
    • Cylindric LED lighting system UL100WB
    • Flocking !
    • Before and After
    • Helicon Focus or Zerene Stacker ?
    • ShineStacker – A Fresh Take on Focus Stacking
    • Sub-stacking in Helicon Focus
    • Depth of Field
    • Image Mosaicking
    • Post-processing
    • Remove smearing lines
    • Calculate the scale
    • Vibration meter
    • Creating a mirrored image
    • Playing with light orientation
  • Glossary
  • My Books
  • Old rocks/Life
    • Oldest rocks
    • Stromatolites
      • Collection / Early life
  • Links
    • Explore my newest Instagram Images
  • About me…
    • Small amber market

Explore my newest Instagram Images

Fresh photo drop on Instagram
Take a look (you’ll need an account) — which one’s your favorite?

Two tiny fossils, side by side, both less than a millimeter tall. Both single-celled organisms. Both recovered from the same Argille di Ortovero Formation (Lower-Middle Pliocene) marine sediment in Liguria, Italy. Here is a minute specimen of Globigerina (probably belonging to the species woodi) from the grey clayey marls of the Argille di Ortovero Formation, dated to the Lower–Middle Pliocene of western Liguria (Italy). At the Dawn of Mammals: Marvelous and big Burmopsychops limoae A nice Neuroptera preserved in amber with its wings fully spread. These fascinating insects were already flying over the dinosaurs during the Cretaceous period, and this specimen is a rare and spectacular example of what the Burmese amber has to offer! Scientists have uncovered 3.4 billion-year-old organic microfossils in the Strelley Pool Formation, Western Australia, which are now considered the oldest known authentic traces of life. ​ These microfossils, preserved in chert, consist of nitrogen- and oxygen-rich organic molecules that have remained intact despite exposure to extreme temperatures (~300 °C). ​ Advanced techniques like Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, and XANES revealed their exceptional molecular preservation, attributed to early silicification, which protected them from degradation over billions of years. ​ Otto copie di AmberArt II sono in viaggio verso l'Italia, acquistate da Maurizio Woodland, grazie Maurizio! In my previous post, I mentioned that the quality of Burmese amber is often poor, complex, and full of debris, inclusions, and droplets of oil (terpenes). However, that’s not always the case. I hate it. The Jeerinah Formation (also spelled Jerrinah) is an important geological unit within the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia. Dated to roughly 2.63–2.7 billion years ago, it marks a pivotal boundary between the late Archean and the earliest Proterozoic eons. Miridae (Hemiptera) in ventral view. I like a lot the composed eyes and the mouth part composed by the long labium and the short labrum Miridae (Hemiptera) hiding behind a “golden leaf.” Electromyiomma sp. (Hemiptera: Isometopinae) Nice Balticofluvius ocellata (Hemiptera) with the original colour pattern. Just received from Ogglab laboratory... now toys to play with :-) Let's continue with the test of the OGGLAB Synchro Light III tool. Here are two small foraminifera, with diameters ranging from 700 µm (left specimen) to 1000 µm (right specimen). A couple of Gavelinella clementiana. Unlike organisms preserved in amber, where I am limited to a maximum of a 10× microscope objective cause diffraction and non optical homogeneity of the resin, “free” specimens allow me to push the magnification further. This small foraminifer was photographed using a 20× objective. Foraminifera Frondicularia sp. (center) and Neoflabellina rugosa (lateral side) A group of agglutinated foraminifera. Yesterday, during the Paleotime-NL 2026 fair, I was able to recover some sifted material dating to the Lower Campanian (Late Cretaceous, approximately 83.6–72.2 million years ago) from the Craie de Trivières Formation (Obourg region, Belgium). These sediments contain a rich fauna of foraminifera and vertebrate remains. An absolutely stunning parasitic wasp embedded in amber, about 5 mm in length, with its characteristic fringed wings. Can you believe this tiny piece of amber contains a miniature (though incomplete) lizard? The mystery will be revealed soon! This is a very rare finding: a large Coleoptera embedded in Ethiopian amber. Ethiopian amber is particularly scarce on the market and remains poorly represented in both private and institutional collections. Inclusions from this deposit are exceptional, especially larger insects such as beetles. Updated the page https://enrico-bonino.eu/oldest-rocks/ with the ~2.43 Gy Hawk's eye gemstone. Hexagenitidae (Ephemeroptera) Sei interessato al mondo dei trilobiti e, caso più unico che raro :-), ai cnidari fossili? Un eccezionale dente di Otodus megalodon rinvenuto nei livelli miocenici della Pietra del Finale. Un pezzo estremamente raro, conservato presso il Museo Archeologico del Finale, e che ho avuto la fortuna di guardare molto da vicino :-)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
Like Loading...
Extreme macro and Paleontology, Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Extreme macro and Paleontology
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Extreme macro and Paleontology
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d