Extreme global warming triggered a prolonged era of devastating wildfires across Europe approximately 201 million years ago, according to a study led by Utrecht University and published Tuesday in Nature Geoscience. The research links these persistent fires to intense volcanic activity during the fragmentation of the supercontinent Pangea, which accelerated the collapse of terrestrial ecosystems at the end of the Triassic period.
Volcanic Activity and the Triassic-Jurassic Extinction
The study identifies a direct correlation between the breakup of Pangea and the onset of extreme climatic shifts.
These fires occurred during the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, a mass extinction that wiped out a significant percentage of Earth’s species. The researchers state that the wildfires were not merely a symptom of the warming climate but acted as a catalyst that hastened the destruction of land-based habitats.
The Impact of Persistent Wildfires on Ecosystems
Unlike isolated fire events, the evidence presented in Nature Geoscience suggests these blazes were persistent and widespread. The loss of these plant communities removed critical food sources and shelter for terrestrial animals, contributing to the mass die-off of species.
The study notes that the scale of these fires transformed the European landscape into what researchers describe as a “hell” of combustion, where the frequency of ignition outpaced the natural regeneration cycles of the flora.
Climate Feedback Loops and Pangea’s Fragmentation
This process illustrates how geological events—such as the shifting of tectonic plates and volcanic eruptions—can trigger biological collapses by altering the chemistry of the atmosphere and the stability of the soil.
Further details on the geochemical analysis used to identify these ancient fire scars are available in the full report published by Nature Geoscience.
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