Occurrences of paleo-wildfires in the early Albian, Erlian Basin, NE China: Evidence from coal petrography and geochemistry

The Albian in the early Cretaceous was a period with extensive and frequent wildfires, yet the wildfire types, intensity, and implications are not well understood due to the lack of continuous wildfire records. In this study, a total of 79 coal samples were collected from a 13 m thick coal seam in the early Cretaceous in the Erlian Basin, Inner Mongolia, China, which were analyzed using Zircon UPb dating, coal petrography analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry techniques. Zircon dating of an interbedded volcanic ash layer shows the coal was deposited in the early Albian, at 111.14 ± 1.14 Ma. Petrographic and proximate analysis show that the coals are characterized by mainly huminite (18.7–84.2 vol%, average 52.7 vol%, mmf—mineral matter free) and inertinite (15.1–80.7 vol%, average 46.2 vol%, mmf), with high volatile matter yields (average 39.7 %, dry and ash-free basis) and low ash yields (average 7.45 %, air dry basis). The frequent wildfire events are recognized by: (1) the inertinite content, mostly composed of fusinite, semifusinite, and inertodetrinite, and higher than most of the reported inertinite contents in the other Cretaceous coals around the world; (2) inertinite, representative of fossil charcoal is typified by homogenized cell walls and vesicles generated under high temperature; and (3) the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are composed of 16 types of 2–6 ring aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, with the average pyrogenic PAHs accounting for 73.9 % of the total PAHs and the medium and high-molecular-weight PAHs accounting for 70.6 % of total molecular-weight PAHs. The average inertinite reflectance values range between 0.86 % and 1.60 %, with an average of 1.21 %, reflecting the fire temperature values ranging from 230 to 436 °C, with an average of 327 °C. The main wildfire types were ground and surface fires under low to moderate temperatures, and wildfire intensity variation was shown by the total content of fusinite and semifusinite, pyrogenic PAHs concentrations, and inertinite reflectance of the coals. Maceral and mineral matter composition indicated that the coals were formed under wet moor with intermittent moderate to high flooding. The peat in topogenous and ombrotrophic raised mires is evidenced by the presence of tonstein and a low ash yield. Changes in fire types and intensity in the Erlian Basin provide new evidence that the Albian is a unique “high fire” period within the Cretaceous.