Fossil Discovery in Makum Coalfield

Current Affairs National

Posted by NewAdmin on 2025-06-19 09:07:39 |

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Recent findings in Assam’s Makum Coalfield have unveiled significant insights into the region’s ancient biodiversity. A team of researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences has discovered fossilised leaves that are around 24 million years old, belonging to the Nothopegia genus. This genus, which no longer exists in northeast India, is today restricted to the Western Ghats, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site. The discovery offers a fascinating glimpse into how climatic and geological shifts shaped biodiversity in South Asia over millions of years.

The fossil leaves were unearthed in the Makum Coalfield, a site already noted for its abundant fossil record. Detailed morphological analysis and comparisons with existing plant specimens confirmed that these ancient leaves belong to Nothopegia. Dating back to the late Oligocene epoch, approximately 24 to 23 million years ago, these fossils represent the oldest evidence of this genus, highlighting the biodiversity that once thrived in the region.

Reconstruction of past climate conditions suggests that northeast India during the late Oligocene was characterised by a warm and humid environment, which provided suitable conditions for tropical plants like Nothopegia to flourish. However, over time, the geological uplift of the Himalayas drastically altered the region’s climate, changing patterns of temperature, rainfall, and wind. This shift made the area less hospitable for such tropical species, leading to their disappearance from the region.

Interestingly, while Nothopegia vanished from northeast India, it continued to survive in the Western Ghats. The stable climatic conditions of this biodiversity hotspot have preserved many ancient plant lineages, underscoring the critical role of such refuges in maintaining ecological heritage.

The research combined paleobotanical study, systematic classification, and advanced climate modelling techniques, creating a robust framework to understand how ecosystems transformed in response to dramatic geological events. The study also provides perspective on present-day biodiversity threats. As global temperatures and climatic conditions rapidly shift due to human activities, the lessons from Nothopegia’s past resilience and migration can guide strategies to conserve plant species facing similar threats today.

Overall, this discovery reaffirms the importance of protecting biodiversity-rich regions like the Western Ghats, which not only house unique species but also serve as living archives of Earth’s ecological history.

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