**Executive Summary**
Researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) have unearthed molecular evidence of massive wildfires in Gondwana forests from 250 million years ago. Released on May 25, 2026, the study details a novel multi-proxy approach used to reconstruct Permian palaeofire events in the Godavari Valley Coalfield. These findings are intended to improve long-term climate change models and forecast ecosystem responses to extreme events.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Scientific Discovery and Context**
* Massive wildfires occurring nearly 250 million years ago significantly shaped Earth’s climate, vegetation, and coal-forming environments.
* The research provides tangible evidence of palaeofire activity within Indian Permian sediments on a broad scale.
* Sediments from the Godavari Valley Coalfield served as the primary source for reconstructing these ancient fire events.
**Methodological Advancements**
* The study utilized a "multi-proxy approach" integrating palynofacies analysis with advanced molecular methods.
* Techniques included Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to identify fire-induced organic matter.
* This approach bridged a critical gap between traditional visual/microscopic identification and geochemical characterization.
**Technical Findings**
* Researchers successfully distinguished between high-intensity (h-PAL-CH) and low-intensity (l-PAL-CH) microcharcoal particles.
* The study identified molecular signatures of combustion, specifically Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and structural ordering in carbonaceous material.
* The results resolve previous ambiguities regarding the origin and nature of charcoal particles such as oxidized opaque phytoclasts (OX-CH).
**Impact Analysis**
**Climate Scientists and Modelers**
**Impact**
They gain access to high-resolution fire reconstructions and data on the palaeoenvironment of Gondwana basins.
**Action Required**
Incorporate these findings to create more accurate models of long-term climate change and better forecast how ecosystems might behave during extreme events.
**The Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) Researchers**
**Impact**
The team successfully validated a novel integrated palynological and molecular approach to decipher palaeofire activity.
**Action Required**
Maintain the publication of these results in the *Geological Journal* and continue utilizing spectroscopic signatures to enhance the understanding of ancient wildfire regimes.
**Environmental Policy Makers and Analysts**
**Impact**
The document provides a historical context for how wildfires impact the environment and climate over millions of years.
**Action Required**
Use the reconstructed data to understand the pertinence of palaeowildfires in the context of the currently changing climate.
Key Entities Referenced
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP): An autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology that conducted the multi-proxy research to reconstruct ancient wildfire events.
Department of Science and Technology (DST): The primary government department overseeing the research institute and supporting the scientific investigation into Earth's climate history.
Godavari Valley Coalfield: The specific geographical location in India where Permian palaeofire events were reconstructed from Gondwana coal-bearing sediments.
Neha Aggarwal, Shivalee Srivastava and Runcie Paul Mathews: The core research team responsible for bridging the gap between visual identification of palaeofire residues and their geochemical characterization.
Ministry of Science & Technology
EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT WILDFIRES
PRESERVED IN COAL REVEALS CLUES TO
EARTH’S CLIMATE
Posted On: 25 MAY 2026 4:38PM by PIB Delhi
Molecular evidence unearthed of massive wildfires that swept across ancient Gondwana forests nearly 250
million years ago, thereby shaping Earth’s climate, vegetation, and coal-forming environments.
Macrocharcoal-based palaeofire investigations in Indian Permian sediments provided the first tangible
evidence of palaeofire activity at a broader scale. Based on these results, researchers began identifying
distinction between various forms of microcharcoal particles within Permian sedimentary sequences,
highlighting the potential for more detailed, high-resolution fire reconstructions.
It was however noted that the scarcity of molecular methods used in palaeofire research was a major
challenge and especially in the distinction between various forms of microcharcoal particles particularly
OX-CH (oxidized opaque phytoclasts) and PAL-CH (fire induced opaque phytoclasts). In earlier studies,
reliance was mostly on microscopic observations which though informative, caused a lot of ambiguity in
the interpretation of the origin and nature of charcoal particles.
Realising this gap, the researchers from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous
institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) used a novel multi-proxy approach
integrating a technique called palynofacies analysis (study of tiny organic matter preserved in
sedimentary rocks) with advanced molecular methods such as Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform
Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to reconstruct Permian palaeofire events from Gondwana coal-bearing
sediments of the Godavari Valley Coalfield, India.
Fig: Graphical abstract illustrating an integrated palynological and molecular approach to decipher
Permian palaeofire activity in Godavari Valley Coalfield using Raman and FTIR Spectroscopy
By combining microscopic and molecular-scale observations, the team consisting of Neha Aggarwal,
Shivalee Srivastava and Runcie Paul Mathews bridged a critical gap between visual identification of
palaeofire residues and their geochemical characterization. The main result of the work is theidentification and distinction between high-intensity (h-PAL-CH) and low-intensity (l-PAL-CH)
palaeofire-derived microcharcoal particles relying on their morphological characteristics, state of
preservation, and optical characteristics.
These results were also supported by molecular signatures of combustion such as the existence of well-
developed second-order Raman spectral features that are evidence of structural ordering (Poly Aromatic
Hydrocarbons: PAHs) in carbonaceous material, and diagnostic FTIR functional groups of thermal
alteration pathways. The combination of palynological data and spectroscopic signatures facilitate a
stronger and more accurate identification of fire-induced organic matter and enhances understanding of
ancient wildfire regimes during the Permian period.
The study published in Geological Journal (Wiley) can help create more accurate models of long-term
climate change by reconstructing the palaeoenvironment of Gondwana basins and this could be crucial in
forecasting future changes in the environment and the behavior of ecosystems to extreme events such as
palaeowildfires that are becoming more pertinent in the changing climate.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.70295
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