According to international scientists, Antarctica was on fire 75 millions years ago. They discovered fossilized plants that had charcoal-like characteristics, which dates back to the time when dinosaurs roamed Earth.
Experts believe that volcanic activity may have fueled the destruction of James Ross Island’s once lush forests during the late Cretaceous period (100 to 66 millions years ago).
The charcoal fragments are thought to have been burned gymnosperm. This is a group of seed-producing plants that include conifers, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes. Scientists believe they are likely to be from a botanical family coniferous trees called Araucariaceae.
“The Cretaceous high-fire’ period was an event that reached almost all continent masses during that period in Earth’s history,” said the study. But, this new study shows these blazes also reached Antarctica.
A team of international scientists discovered fossilized plants from Antarctica 75 million years ago. These plants were charcoal-dated to when dinosaurs roamed Earth.
The first study to identify fossilized macrocharcoal from James Ross Island is a landmark. Researchers wrote that it ‘confirmed that palaeowildfires occurred within the Campanian vegetation preserved at the Santa Marta Formation’.
The research has been published in the scientific journal Polar Research.
Antarctica was a paradise with green vegetation and flowering plants millions of years ago. But, volcanoes engulfed the landscape, turning the paradise into an uninhabitable inferno.
Flaviana Jorge, a paleobiologist at Federal University of Pernambuco (Recife, Brazil), was the lead researcher of the study. She said in a statement that the discovery “expands the knowledge about vegetation fires during Cretaceous, and shows that such episodes are more common than previously thought.”
The James Ross Archipelago, located near the Antarctic Peninsula’s western tip, exposes a sedimentary succession known to be the Marambio Group in the Larsen Basin.
The once lush forests of James Ross Island were destroyed during the late Cretaceous (100 million to 66.6 million years ago). Experts believe this may have been due to volcanic activity caused by tectonics.
Stereomicroscopes are binocular microscopes that provide a low-power stereooscopic view of the subject. They were used to analyze the fossilized samples. The team was able to see into the fossilized plants and found homogenized cell walls, which confirmed that the samples had been charred.
Stereomicroscopes are binocular microscopes that provide a low-power stereooscopic view of the subject.
This allowed the team access to the deepest parts of the fossilized plants. They found homogenized cell walls, which confirmed that the samples had been charred.
The study concluded that Antarctica experienced intense volcanic activity during the Cretaceous. This was supported by fossil remains found in strata related with ash falls.
“It is possible that volcanic activity ignited palaeowildfire that created the charcoal reported.
Pictured is an artist impression of wildfires ripping through Antarctica during the Cretaceous
“Volcanic activity was also suggested as a possible reason for charcoal being found in Cretaceous deposits on Nelson Island.”
Nelson Island, West Antarctica is the first region to show evidence of ancient wildfires.
In 2015, an expedition found similar fossilized plants with charcoal characteristics.