Wildfire Events at the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary of the Tabas Basin, Central Iran

Abstract This paper presents organic geochemical evidence pointing to the occurrence of wildfire events at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in Central Iran. The studied outcrop section (the Kamarmacheh Kuh section) is comprised of the Upper Triassic Nayband Formation which passes conformably into the Lower Jurassic Ab-e-Haji Formation with no sharp boundary. Organic petrographical studies reveal a higher concentration of semi-fusinite macerals and microscopic charcoal at the boundary between studied formations. This observation can be an evidence for widespread wildfire events at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary of the studied area. Following these fires, vast areas of land were exposed for erosion and large volumes of clastic sediments were provided due to increased run-off. This agrees well with previous sedimentological and stratigraphical studies suggesting a major change in the depositional conditions from marine to non-marine at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary of the Tabas Basin. These findings can have important implications about paleo-depositional settings of the studied formations and the nature of the associated organic matter.