Coal Mine in Assam Unlocked a 24-Million-Year-Old Puzzle

In a groundbreaking discovery that sheds new light on India’s ancient ecology, scientists have unearthed fossilized leaves in Assam’s Makum Coalfield that date back an astonishing 24 million years. The fossils, found in the Tirap colliery, belong to two previously unknown species of the tree genus Nothopegia—plants that today grow only in the Western Ghats.

The newly identified species, named Nothopegia oligotravancorica and Nothopegia oligocastaneifolia, are evidence of an ancient, dense evergreen forest that once stretched from northeast India to the southern Western Ghats—a tropical “green corridor” long lost to time. 

“This find confirms the presence of a now-extinct forest connection that linked two of India’s richest biodiversity hotspots,” said lead researcher Dr. Kaustubh Thaker, a paleobotanist involved in the study. “It’s a snapshot of a lush world that existed before the Himalayas changed the region’s climate forever. 

As co-author Dr. Harshita Bhatia puts it, “This fossil discovery is a window into the past that helps us understand the future.” Her team’s work adds a critical piece to the puzzle of how India’s rich biodiversity can be saved from the climatic challenges ahead.