25 May 2026·PIB

EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT WILDFIRES PRESERVED IN COAL REVEALS CLUES TO EARTH’S CLIMATE

In this note

1. At a Glance

Molecular/charcoal evidence of massive wildfires across ancient Gondwana forests ~250 million years ago (Permian period), preserved in Indian coal seams. [1]
Study conducted by Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow — an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST). [1][2]
Establishes India's Permian coal basins (e.g., Raniganj Coalfield) as key global archives for reconstructing palaeoclimate, palaeovegetation and ancient fire regimes. [1][2]
Relevant for GS-I (geography/geology) and GS-III (science & tech, environment) integration questions.

PIB press release dated 25 May 2026 announcing macrocharcoal-based palaeofire findings from Indian Permian sediments, the "first tangible evidence of palaeofire activity at a broader scale" in India. [1]
Related PIB release on Jharkhand coal mines (Sirka and Giddi C areas, Damodar Basin, Hazaribagh district) helping "retrace a long-lost world" via BSIP research. [2]

Permian Period (~299–252 million years ago): high atmospheric oxygen levels globally are believed to have intensified wildfire activity. [1]
Raniganj Coalfield, India: among the first global sites where fossil (macro)charcoal was identified, linking ancient mire/peat systems to seasonal, drought-induced fires. [1]
Research team led by Dr. Neha Aggarwal, BSIP, used Raman Spectroscopy, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis, and FTIR Spectroscopy to characterize charcoal and decode fire signatures in coal-bearing rock. [1]
Findings published in the journal ACS Omega. [1]
Subsequent work extended to distinguishing microcharcoal particle types within Permian sedimentary sequences for higher-resolution fire reconstruction — flagged as methodologically challenging due to scarcity of molecular palaeofire techniques. [Excerpt/S1]

Item	Detail
Nodal institute	Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow [1][2]
Parent ministry/department	Ministry of Science & Technology → Department of Science & Technology (DST) [1][2]
Time period studied	Permian, ~250 million years ago (Gondwana era) [1]
Key geographic sites	Raniganj Coalfield; Sirka & Giddi C Collieries, Argada area, Damodar Basin, Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand [1][2]
Techniques used	Macrocharcoal & microcharcoal analysis, Raman Spectroscopy, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis, FTIR Spectroscopy, palynology [1][2]
Publication	ACS Omega journal [1]
Key researcher	Dr. Neha Aggarwal [1]

Scientific/Technological

Demonstrates convergence of palaeobotany, spectroscopy, and organic geochemistry for palaeoclimate reconstruction. [1]
Highlights India's growing molecular-methods capability in palaeofire science, an area noted globally as under-researched. [1]

Environmental

Links high Permian atmospheric oxygen to fire intensity, informing models of ancient fire-climate-vegetation feedback loops relevant to present-day wildfire and carbon-cycle research. [1]
Coal-forming (peat/mire) environments shown to be shaped significantly by recurrent fire disturbance, not just burial and decay. [1]

Historical/Geological

Provides deep-time (Deep Time = pre-Quaternary) baseline data on Gondwana supercontinent ecosystems before its breakup. [1]

Administrative

Research executed entirely within India's DST-funded autonomous institute network, illustrating domestic capacity for globally publishable geoscience research. [1][2]

25 May 2026: PIB release on macrocharcoal-based palaeofire evidence in Permian sediments across Gondwana forests, based on BSIP research. [1]
Earlier related PIB release: BSIP study on Sirka and Giddi C collieries, Damodar Basin, Jharkhand, examining coal/shale/sandstone layers using palynology and Rock-Eval pyrolysis, tied to broader palaeo-reconstruction and shale-gas potential research theme. [2]

Wildfire evidence relates to the Permian period, ~250 million years ago, part of the Gondwana supercontinent era. [1]
Nodal research institute: Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow. [1]
BSIP functions under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Science & Technology — not MoEFCC. [1]
Raniganj Coalfield is cited as one of the earliest sites of fossil macrocharcoal identification in India. [1]
Techniques used: Raman Spectroscopy, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis, FTIR Spectroscopy. [1]
Lead researcher: Dr. Neha Aggarwal. [1]
Findings published in journal ACS Omega. [1]
High atmospheric oxygen levels in the Permian are linked to intensified ancient wildfire activity. [1]
Related BSIP fieldwork sites: Sirka Colliery and Giddi C Colliery, Argada area, Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, in the Damodar Basin. [2]
Macrocharcoal vs microcharcoal distinction is key to high-resolution palaeofire reconstruction. [1]

GS-I: Geographical features (coal formation, Gondwana geology, physical geography of the world).
GS-III: Science & Technology developments in India; Environment — climate change/fire ecology linkages; conservation of geological heritage.
Possible question stems: 1. "Discuss how palaeofire evidence preserved in coal deposits contributes to understanding Earth's ancient climate systems. Illustrate with reference to recent Indian research." (GS-III) 2. "Examine the significance of India's Gondwana-era coal basins as archives of palaeoclimatic and palaeoecological information." (GS-I/III) 3. "Analyse the role of autonomous scientific institutions under the DST in advancing India's contribution to global earth-science research." (GS-III)

Gondwana Supercontinent & Coal Formation in India — foundational geology link.
Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction — the era immediately following these wildfire events.
Department of Science & Technology (DST) autonomous institutes — administrative/governance angle.
India's Coalfields (Raniganj, Damodar Basin, Jharia) — economic geography relevance.
Palaeoclimatology & proxy records (ice cores, tree rings, charcoal) — comparative dating methods.
Shale Gas Potential in Indian Coalfields — linked BSIP research theme in Jharkhand. [2]
Modern Wildfire Trends & Climate Change — contemporary parallel for GS-III environment questions.

Confusing BSIP's parent ministry: it is under DST (Ministry of Science & Technology), not MoEFCC — a common Prelims trap given the environmental subject matter.
Mixing up macrocharcoal (visible, larger fragments, in-situ fire indicator) vs microcharcoal (transported, regional fire signal) — the distinction is examinable.
Misdating the period — this pertains to the Permian (~250 mya), not the Carboniferous, though both are coal-forming periods.
Conflating the Raniganj Coalfield wildfire study with the separate Sirka/Giddi C Colliery (Damodar Basin) shale gas-focused study — both are BSIP/DST work but with different research foci. [1][2]