Identifying Past Fire Events

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

“…The distribution of charcoal in fluvial sediments is also strongly influenced by taphonomic processes (e.g. [35,117]). Fluvial processes transport charcoal by both suspended and bed load, and often, during deposition, charcoal fragments can be concentrated into lenses, cross-bedding structures, or more broadly dispersed in sediments [116].…”

Charcoalified logs as evidence of hypautochthonous/autochthonous wildfire events in a peat-forming environment from the Permian of southern Paraná Basin (Brazil)

“…Likewise, Glasspool (2000) observed in Permian Australian coals that a general correlation between tonsteins and inertinite-rich coal layers indicates a possible fire ignition provided by the proximity to explosive volcanic activity. Nevertheless, the low fire temperature detected here by quantitative reflectance and the presence of vitrinite inside the superficially charred stems point to potential ignition sources such as lightning strikes, which are the most common cause of ignition (Cope and Chaloner, 1985;Glasspool and Scott, 2013). Moreover, for the tonstein ply interbedded in the coal seam S, Simas et al (2013) concluded that the ash has been deposited on the peat surface at a cool temperature, and no evidence of thermal-induced alteration has been observed through leaf cuticle analyses (Degani-Schmidt et al, 2011;Guerra-Sommer, 1992).…”

“…10B-D). Even large logs can be transported because they are buoyant (Glasspool and Scott, 2013). Yet the preservation of vascular tissue, the integrity of associated coalified sporangia/ pollen organs, and the presence of palynomorph clusters and oxidized but not burned pteridophytic and algal spores indicate that the crown and the peat itself have not been significantly affected by the fire and transport was very limited for all plant parts.…”

Evidence of widespread wildfires in a coal seam from the middle Permian of the North China Basin

“…However, according to later studies, inertinite could also be formed by fires (Bustin, 1997). Most inertinite macerals were explained as originating from wildfire activity (Scott andGlasspool, 2006, 2007;Diessel, 2010;Hudspith et al, 2012;Glasspool and Scott, 2013;Jasper et al, 2016a); however, Hower et al (2013) argued that wildfire is not the only path to the formation of inertinite macerals, and degradation of organic matter could also be a pathway for inertinite formation. In this study we agree with the viewpoint of Scott and Glasspool (2006).…”

“…Scott and Glasspool (2006) concluded that charcoal can be equated with the inertinite group macerals. Scott and Glasspool (2007) and Glasspool and Scott (2013) stated that inertinite is synonymous with charcoal, and is almost exclusively considered to be formed as a byproduct of wildfires.…”