**Summary:**
A study by Indian scientists at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has revealed a significant climate shift in the Kashmir Valley approximately 4 million years ago. Analysis of fossilized leaves, curated by the late Prof. Birbal Sahni and Dr. G.S. Puri, indicates that the region was once a warm, humid subtropical environment, contrasting with its current cool, Mediterranean-type climate.
Researchers, including Dr. Harshita Bhatia, Dr. Reyaz Ahmad Dar, and Dr. Gaurav Srivastava, attribute this transformation to the tectonic uplift of the Pir Panjal Range. The rising mountain range blocked the Indian summer monsoon, reducing water supply and causing a shift from subtropical forests to a drier, Mediterranean climate over millennia.
The study utilized the CLAMP (Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program) method, examining the shape, size, and margins of fossil leaves to determine past temperature and rainfall patterns. Findings were cross-validated using the coexistence approach, comparing fossil plants with their modern relatives to estimate climate ranges.
Published in *Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology*, this research offers insights into the impact of tectonic forces on climate and provides a historical context for understanding ecosystem responses to contemporary climate change. The findings are crucial for developing predictive models and informing conservation efforts in fragile mountain regions like the Himalayas. Release ID: 2143738.
Key Entities Referenced
Kashmir Valley: A valley located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, known for its distinctive climate and geological history.
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences BSIP, Lucknow: An autonomous research institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, specializing in palaeosciences.
Department of Science and Technology DST: A department of the Government of India responsible for the formulation of science and technology policies and the promotion of scientific research.
Pir Panjal Range: A mountain range in the inner Himalayan region, whose tectonic uplift significantly impacted the climate of the Kashmir Valley.
Himalayas: A mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau.
Dr. Harshita Bhatia: A researcher from BSIP who linked the climate shift in Kashmir Valley to the tectonic uplift of the Pir Panjal Range.
Dr. Reyaz Ahmad Dar: A researcher from BSIP involved in the scientific investigation into the climatic and tectonic history of the Kashmir Valley.
Dr. Gaurav Srivastava: A researcher from BSIP involved in the scientific investigation into the climatic and tectonic history of the Kashmir Valley.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Leaf fossils reveal how Himalaya rewrote Kashmir
weather 4-Million-Years ago
Posted On: 10 JUL 2025 4:53PM by PIB Delhi
A ground breaking study by Indian Scientists has revealed that the Kashmir Valley, now known for its cool,
Mediterranean-type climate, was once a warm, humid subtropical paradise. This ancient climate, long buried
in the past, has been resurrected by probing fossilized leaves and mountain-building forces.
As part of the rich fossil leaf collection curated by the late Prof. Birbal Sahni and Dr. G.S. Puri, housed at the
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, an autonomous institute of the Department of
Science and Technology (DST) were collections recovered from the Karewa sediments of the Kashmir
Valley. These displayed remarkable diversity and preservation. Many of the specimens resembled subtropical
taxa that no longer exist in the region’s current temperate climate.
A group of researchers from BSIP were intrigued by the striking mismatch between past and present
vegetation and this prompted their scientific investigation into the climatic and tectonic history of the Kashmir
Valley using modern palaeobotanical methodologies.
Dr. Harshita Bhatia, Dr. Reyaz Ahmad Dar and Dr. Gaurav Srivastava linked this dramatic shift to the
tectonic uplift of the Pir Panjal Range, a sub-Himalayan Mountain range that gradually rose and blocked the
Indian summer monsoon from reaching the valley.
Fig 1: Map showing the location of the fossil locality situated in the Kashmir Valley (after Bhatia et al.,
2025).
By doing so, these rising mountains cut off the water supply, drying out the lush forests and transforming the
region’s climate from subtropical to Mediterranean over millennia.
Using CLAMP (Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program) the Scientists examined the shape, size andmargins of fossil leaves to determine temperature and rainfall patterns and cross-checked fossil plants with
their modern relatives with the help of the coexistence approach to estimate climate ranges. This helped them
create a detailed snapshot of the Kashmir Valley’s ancient environment, rich with warmth and rain—until the
mountains intervened.
Fig 2. Fossil leaves excavated from the Kashmir Valley belonging to ~4 million years in age.
This study published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology is not only a journey
into the past but also a window into our climate future. Understanding how tectonic forces shaped the climate
millions of years ago gives us critical insights into how Earth's systems respond to change.
As modern climate change continues to alter rainfall and temperature patterns, research like this helps
Scientists build better models to predict how ecosystems might adapt—or collapse—in the face of these shifts.
It’s also a key to conserving fragile mountain regions like the Himalayas, which are highly sensitive to
environmental change.
***
NKR/PSM
(Release ID: 2143738)