Association of late Carboniferous wildfire records with interglacial climate change in North China Platform

Currently, global warming driven by anthropogenic factors such as the massive emission of greenhouse gases is gradually transitioning the Earth’s surface climate from a Quaternary glacial period to an interglacial or greenhouse climate, accompanied by increasing wildfire frequency and intensity. To reveal the role and impact of paleo-wildfires on climate change during ice house period, Benxi and Taiyuan Formations of coal measures in the Liujiang coalfield of the North China Plate are focused on in this study. dating back to the Late Carboniferous glacial climate. Using inertinite content in mudstone kerogen as an indicator of paleo-wildfire intensity, a comparative analysis was conducted between wildfire development and concurrent atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, volcanic activity, and glacial-interglacial climate changes in high-latitude regions. The results reveal three periods of intensified wildfires in the Late Carboniferous (late Bashkirian/WF-1, late Moscovian - early Kasimovian/WF-2, and late Gzhelian - early Asselian/WF-3). These periods occurred during interglacial stages of the Late Carboniferous glacial climate, characterized by increased atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and heightened global volcanic activity. It is suggested by this study that intensified wildfires during interglacials were both a product of global warming and a factor reinforcing climate change. Global warming increased wildfire frequency and intensity by raising global temperatures and intensifying the water cycle, leading to more frequent lightning. In turn, wildfires exacerbated climate warming by burning vegetation, oxidizing organic matter, and melting glaciers and permafrost, releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases like CO₂ into the atmosphere. Thus, wildfires were direct drivers of terrestrial ecosystem degradation during glacial periods. This research provides significant insights into the impact and mechanisms of glacial-interglacial cycles on low-latitude environmental changes during the Late Paleozoic glacial period. It also offers a scientific basis for predicting environmental and climate changes in future Quaternary glacial periods.