Millions of years ago – where the perpetual ice of Antarctica and the dry dust of the Atacama Desert today stretch – lush forests flourished, full of araucaria trees, giant ferns, and vegetation that would seem unimaginable today. How did these verdant ecosystems transform into two of the most extreme places on Earth?
Paleobotanist Joseline Manfroi, a researcher at the Atacama Paleontology and Natural History Research and Advancement Corporation (CIAHN Atacama) and a pioneer in the study of ancient fires on the frozen continent, is reconstructing this forgotten history through fossils of leaves, wood, roots, and even traces of fire trapped in rock. These clues suggest that fire was a constant presence during the Cretaceous period, fueled by an oxygen-rich atmosphere and intense volcanic activity.
“These fires occurred many times and acted as an evolutionary pressure on the forests that existed in Antarctica some 75 million years ago,” Manfroi says. ...
