Why In The News?

• Scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences unearthed 24-million-year-old fossilized Nothopegia leaves in Assam’s Makum Coalfield.
• This is the oldest known fossil record of the genus, revealing ancient climate patterns and biodiversity shifts.

About Nothopegia Leaves:

What is Nothopegia?

⇒ A genus of flowering plants belonging to the Anacardiaceae family (same as mango).

⇒ It includes several tropical tree species known for their ecological and medicinal importance.

⇒ Present Habitat: Currently found only in the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot in peninsular India.

⇒ Fossil Discovery: Fossil leaves of Nothopegia were discovered in Assam’s Makum Coalfield, dating back to the late Oligocene epoch (24–23 million years ago).

Key Features:

⇒ Broad, reticulate-veined leaves.

⇒ Adapted to warm, humid tropical climates.

⇒  Fossils resemble modern Western Ghats species, indicating a past distribution in Northeast India.

Reason for Local Extinction in Northeast:

⇒ Tectonic shifts and Himalayan uplift drastically altered regional climate.

⇒ Changes in rainfall, temperature, and wind patterns made the Northeast inhospitable.

⇒ Nothopegia migrated southward, surviving in the climatically stable Western Ghats.

About Makum Coalfield:

⇒ Location: Located in Tinsukia district, Assam, within the Dibrugarh–Tinsukia coal belt.

Features:

• Rich in Tertiary-period fossil records and peat-based coal deposits.
• A valuable site for paleobotanical and geological research.
• Offers insights into climatic transitions and ancient flora of India.