Widespread Fire On Earth 80 Million Years After First Plants Show Up

A recent study revealed that widespread fire occurred on Earth more than 80 million years after plants first invaded the land.

The study was carried out by Professor Andrew C. Scott of the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London and Professor Sue Rimmer from Southern Illinois University. Their findings revealed that even though plants were detected more than 400 million years ago, there is slight evidence of fire at the time, according to a news release.

"What surprised us was that many of these early extensive fires were surface fires burning the undergrowth, as we can see the anatomy of the plants being burned through scanning electron microscope studies of larger pieces of the fossil charcoal," Scott said.

Scott claimed that this is possible since plants were small and had a limited distribution, but over the following 50 million years, plants became diversified and spread across the globe. Since some of these plants were trees, they could have been a potential fuel to burn, according to Scott.

"Extensive forest fires soon followed, however, and we see widespread charcoal deposits throughout the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) Period 358 to 323 million years ago," Scott said.

The researchers made this discovery after analyzing charcoal that was washed in to an ocean that lay across the area that is now present day North America. Scott and Rimmer believe that it was not the lack of fuel availability that prevented widespread fire, but that oxygen levels in the atmosphere were too low.

When oxygen levels went above 17 percent, then wildfires would be found - presently it is 21 percent. The new finding suggest that this event was about 360 million years ago, during the Devonian Period, (a period with some of the earliest vascular plant fossils). This time outlines a new period of the evolution of the Earth system, and regular wildfire could have had an essential role in the evolution of plants and animals, according to the researchers. 

Related Articles

Wildfire Prevention Actions Not Linked To Climate Change Beliefs

Protected And Intact Forests Endure Rapid Loss Around The World

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).