Ancient Wildfires Raged Across Europe for Millennia During End-Triassic Mass Extinction

New research reveals that massive wildfires, fueled by fern savannahs, swept across what is now Northwest Europe for thousands of years during the end-Triassic mass extinction event 201 million years ago. This period was characterized by extreme global warming of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius due to volcanic activity. The study utilized fossil charcoal and organic molecules from smoke to reconstruct paleo-fire records, providing new insights into the devastating environmental impacts of past global warming and its link to ecosystem collapse.