Study Links 200-Million-Year-Old European Wildfires to End-Triassic Extinction as 100,000 Gigatonnes of CO2 Rose
Updated
Updated · Nature.com · Jul 22
Study Links 200-Million-Year-Old European Wildfires to End-Triassic Extinction as 100,000 Gigatonnes of CO2 Rose
3 articles · Updated · Nature.com · Jul 22
Summary
Drill cores from Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark and the UK show darkened fossil pollen and spores, which researchers say records continental-scale wildfires across Europe during the end-Triassic mass extinction.
Heating experiments on modern Lycopodium spores indicate the darkening was caused by surface fires sweeping fern-dominated savannahs, not simple burial-related thermal maturation.
Microcharcoal and pyrolytic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon data back frequent, widespread burning that coincided with forest collapse and the spread of pioneer fern vegetation.
The study ties those fires to greenhouse warming after Central Atlantic Magmatic Province volcanism released an estimated 100,000 gigatonnes of CO2 about 200 million years ago.
Researchers say alternating drought, heat stress and extreme rainfall likely helped drive terrestrial ecosystem collapse during an extinction event that wiped out roughly 80% of species.
Could a plant-fueled firestorm, like the one from the Triassic, happen again in our modern, changing climate?
Volcanoes started a mass extinction, but did a common plant turn Earth into a fiery hell?
40,000 Years of Fern-Fueled Wildfires: The Feedback Loop That Prolonged the End-Triassic Extinction
Overview
New research published in July 2026 reveals that the End-Triassic extinction was not only driven by massive volcanic eruptions from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, which released huge amounts of carbon dioxide and caused rapid global warming and ocean acidification, but was also intensified by a destructive feedback loop. After widespread deforestation, ferns rapidly expanded and became dominant. These ferns, being highly flammable, fueled massive wildfires. The fires cleared more land, allowing even more ferns to grow, creating a cycle that prolonged and worsened the extinction event. This discovery highlights how interconnected environmental changes can amplify global crises.