Amber deposits in Canada are either found undisturbed along the
bedding planes of coal sediments, or concentrated in secondary locations
where pieces have been exhumed by waterways (McAlpine and
Martin, 1969). For this study, 21 specimens of amber from 11 deposit
sites in western and northern Canada were analysed using TSP Py-GC–
MS and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Multiple specimens
were obtained for several of the deposits. Since the analyses
showed similar chemical characteristics for these multiples, only one
representative sample of each deposit is presented in this study. The exception
to this is the deposit fromAxel Heiberg Island, which contained
two distinct subclasses of amber, both of which are represented in the
study. A summary of the amber specimens presented in this study is
provided in Table 1.