BSIP study of Jharkhand coal mine reconstructs 300-million-year-old Gondwana swamp forests
A study led by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, using fossils from the Ashoka Coal Mine in Jharkhand's North Karanpura Basin, has reconstructed a Gondwanan ecosystem of about 300 million years ago, the Department of Science and Technology announced on 19 February 2026.
Summary
A study led by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, using fossils from the Ashoka Coal Mine in Jharkhand's North Karanpura Basin, has reconstructed a Gondwanan ecosystem of about 300 million years ago, the Department of Science and Technology announced on 19 February 2026. Palaeobotanical and geochemical evidence points to dense swampy forests and river networks, occasionally flooded by the sea, when India was part of the southern supercontinent Gondwanaland. The researchers say the findings on this Permian sea incursion could help understand how sea-level rise reshapes continents. BSIP is an autonomous institute of DST.
Key facts
- Announced
- 19 February 2026
- Institute
- Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (DST)
- Site
- Ashoka Coal Mine, North Karanpura Basin, Jharkhand
- Age
- About 300 million years ago
- Setting
- Gondwanaland; swampy forests and rivers with sea incursion (Permian)
Practice MCQs 2 questions
A BSIP-led study announced in February 2026 reconstructed a 300-million-year-old Gondwanan ecosystem using fossils from a coal mine in which basin?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — North Karanpura Basin
The evidence came from the Ashoka Coal Mine in Jharkhand's North Karanpura Basin.
The Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, which led the Jharkhand coal-mine fossil study, is an autonomous institute under which department?
Show answer
Correct answer: B — Department of Science and Technology
BSIP is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).