Palaeobotanical evidence for Artinskian wildfire in the Talcher Coalfield, Mahanadi Basin, India

Abstract

The present endeavour documents the evidence of Artinskian wildfire from the Indian geological record by means of analysing macroscopic fossil charcoal fragments embedded in the coal bearing succession of Bharatpur Coal-mine in Talcher Coalfield, Mahanadi Basin, India. The palynological and SEM analyses record palaeobotanical evidence of this wildfire. The Scheuringipollenites barakarensis palynoassemblage of the present contribution assigns an Early Permian (Artinskian) age to the studied section and it also shows the dominance of glossopteridales, sub dominance of coniferales followed by cordaitales and filicales plant groups. The SEM study of macroscopic charcoal fragments exhibits anatomical features like homogenized cell walls, uniseriate simple, biseriate simple as well as alternate pitting patterns present on tracheid walls and also rays of varying heights signifying gymnospermous wood affinities. The good preservation and large size as well as almost unabraded edges of the charcoal fragments are indicative of a parautochthonous origin. © 2021 Palaeontological Society Of India. All rights reserved.