**Executive Summary**
This report discusses a study by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) regarding the discovery of a lost ecosystem predating dinosaurs in Jharkhand's coal mines. The study uncovered plant fossils and chemical signals in the Ashoka Coal Mine in North Karanpura Basin, providing insight into the Gondwanan environment and its potential relevance to understanding current sea-level rise. The findings were published in the *International Journal of Coal Geology* (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2025.104860).
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Discovery of Lost Ecosystem:**
* Open-cast coal mines in Jharkhand have revealed evidence of an ecosystem that existed before humans and dinosaurs.
* The mines contain fossils of dense swampy forests and river networks from the Gondwanaland supercontinent (approximately 300 million years ago).
* **Gondwanan Environment Reconstruction:**
* The study reconstructs the Gondwanan environment and its interaction with the sea.
* It may provide insights into how sea level rise can reshape continental environments.
* **Evidence from Ashoka Coal Mine:**
* A multidisciplinary study by BSIP collected palaeobotanical and geochemical evidence from the Ashoka Coal Mine in Jharkhand.
* The study uncovered fossils of at least 14 different species of *Glossopteris* and their relatives.
* Evidence of framboidal pyrite and high sulfur levels suggest brackish-water conditions in the basin.
* Chemical analysis suggests a marine incursion around 280-290 million years ago into the Damodar Basin.
* **Significance of the Discovery:**
* The study found the first-ever juvenile male cone of *Glossopteris* in Damodar Basin.
* The discovery provides information about marine incursions and current sea-level rise, potentially informing understanding of the impact of polar ice melt on continental landscapes.
**Impact Analysis**
**Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) / Department of Science and Technology (DST):**
* **Impact:** The BSIP led a successful study, further establishing its reputation as a key institution in palaeosciences.
* **Action Required:** Continue research on the implications of the findings.
**Researchers in Paleobotany, Geochemistry, and Climate Science:**
* **Impact:** The study provides new data and insights for understanding past ecosystems, marine incursions, and their relevance to current climate change.
* **Action Required:** Incorporate the findings into their research and consider further investigations based on this study.
**Coal Mining Industry in Jharkhand:**
* **Impact:** The findings highlight the potential for scientific discovery within coal mining areas.
* **Action Required:** Support and collaborate with research institutions for further exploration of geological and paleontological resources within mining sites.
Key Entities Referenced
Jharkhand: Location of the open cast coal mines where evidence of a lost ecosystem was found.
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP): Autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) that led the multidisciplinary study.
Department of Science and Technology (DST): The ministry under which the leading research institute, BSIP, operates.
Ashoka Coal Mine: Specific location in Jharkhand's North Karanpura Basin where the fossil record was uncovered.
International Journal of Coal Geology: Journal in which the findings of the research were published.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Coal mines in Jharkhand help retrace a long-lost
world
Posted On: 19 FEB 2026 3:43PM by PIB Delhi
Open cast coal mines in Jharkhand have provided evidence of a lost ecosystem that existed much before
humans or even dinosaurs existed. Evidence buried in the mines helped retrace the dense swampy forests
and network of rivers that prevailed in India which formed part of the southern supercontinent
Gondwanaland, nearly 300 million years ago.
The study reconstructs the Gondwanan environment occasionally kissed by the sea and could provide
insights into how sea level rise due to climate change can reshape continental environments
Earlier studies proposed numerous theories which attempted to explain pathways of sea incursion on the
basis of evidences found in fauna and sediments collected from different outcrops and coalfields across
India. However, the area of study remains much debated as the occurrences of prehistoric marine floods or
Permian Sea transgression are sporadic and documented only in a limited number of localities.
A new multidisciplinary study led by Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous
institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), collected palaeobotanical and geochemical
evidence from the Ashoka Coal Mine in Jharkhand’s North Karanpura Basin. It uncovered an
extraordinary fossil record of ancient plants and microscopic chemical signals that together paint a vivid
picture of this vanished ecosystem from the time when India alongside Antarctica, South Africa, South
America, and Australia constituted Gondwanaland.
Fig.1: Plant fossils ( ̴ 290 m.y.) recorded from the Ashoka Coal Mine section a) Glossopteris
searsolensis, BSIP- 48382, b) G. giridihensis, BSIP- 48383, c) G. subtilis, BSIP- 48384, d) G.
stenoneura, BSIP- 48385, e) Unidentified ovuliferous fructification, BSIP- 48390, f) Reconstruction ofthe unidentified fructification, g) Glossopteris nautiyalii, BSIP- 48394, h) G. zeilleri BSIP- 48395.
The reconstruction of Gondwana Environment and associated palaeo vegetation revealed abundance of
Glossopteris, an extinct group of seed plants that once dominated the southern continents.
Fossils of at least 14 different species of Glossopteris and its close relatives, were found preserved in shale
layers in the coal mine as delicate leaf impressions, roots, spores, and pollen grains.
A globally significant discovery was the first-ever juvenile male cone of Glossopteris in Damodar Basin.
It is a botanical ‘missing piece’ that can help scientists understand how these ancient trees reproduced.
Fig. 2:Photomicrographs of different petrographic constituents of coal samples-a-b) collotelinite; c)
corpogelinite (arrow); d) oil smear (arrow); e-f-g) sporinite; h) exsudatinite (fluorescence view of d); i)
semifusinite (arrow); j) fusinite; k) inertodetrinite (arrow; normal view of g); l-m) funginite; n-p) pyrite-
massive, framboidal and cell filling form, respectively. Photomicrographs a-d and i-p were taken under
incident white light; photomicrographs g-h was taken under blue light excitation (fluorescence) mode.
Examination of the coal and shale pellets under the microscope, indicate presence of framboidal pyrite--
tiny raspberry-shaped mineral clusters, and unusually high sulphur levels in the coal and shale. This
suggested brackish-water conditions, unusual in coal deposits within the basin, thereby providing evidence
of marine incursion and its pathway.
Chemical analyses of organic molecules (using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry) suggested a
possible marine incursion around 280-290 million years into the Damodar Basin and illustrating the
pathway of Permian Sea as it advanced from Northeast India into Central India.
The findings published in the journal International Journal of Coal Geology brought valuable insights into
the sedimentation history of the coal bearing succession along with marine signature at Ashoka Coal Mine
in North Karanpura Coalfield.
Drawing parallels between past marine incursions and current sea-level rise associated with polar ice melt,
the study could throw light on the implications of potential future encroachment of marine environments
onto continental landscapes under ongoing global warming.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2025.104860*****
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