Research paper: Communications Earth & Environment 7 (18 May 2026, open access) - News: The Hindu, 20 May 2026 | Prelims - environment, mining and climate
Why in the News
According to The Hindu (20 May 2026), a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment says the underground fires burning for more than a century in Jharkhand's Jharia coalfield may be hotter than earlier estimates and may emit more greenhouse gases. A team of researchers from the United Kingdom and India (including CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research) found that the collapse structures formed by the fire can be up to 10 metres wide.
The Key Points to Remember:
According to the research paper's abstract, these collapse structures are estimated (a model estimate) to emit more than 700 megatonnes (±140) of CO2-equivalent per year and 116 million megawatt-hours (±23 million) per year of heat energy - about twice the UK's domestic emissions in 2023. Such fugitive emissions are usually not included in greenhouse-gas accounting.
Diagram: an original table of pcsmantra.com based on the sources.
| Jharia underground fire | Communications Earth & Environment, 18 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Collapse structures | Up to 10 metres wide; modelled temperatures up to 4000°C |
| Emissions (abstract, model) | More than 700 Mt CO2e (±140)/year from collapse structures; about twice the UK's 2023 figure |
Diagram: original table.
What Is in the Research Paper?
The research paper is "Extreme environmental conditions in coal mine fire collapse structures" (Colin D. Hills, Nimisha Tripathi, Raj S. Singh, Musa D. Aliyu, Andrew Hurt, Zoltan Hiezl, Alistair T. Hills; Communications Earth & Environment 7; DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-03546-4; published open access on 18 May 2026). According to the abstract, the collapse structures formed by coal fires in the mines of eastern Jharia are up to 10 metres in diameter; field study, mineral and microstructure analysis and modelling show that large, isolated structures are the most thermally active and the biggest emitters of combustion gases and heat. Nanometre-thick iron-rich layers indicate extremely high-temperature gas/solid interaction - like the molten layers of meteorites entering the atmosphere. According to the modelling, the structures make temperatures of up to 4000 degrees Celsius possible.
According to the journal, the team studied three mines of the eastern coalfield - Ena, Rajapur/Bastacola and Tisra - between 2018 and 2023. According to The Hindu, paralava (rock melted by the fire's heat) was found in the caves and a glass-like rock was nicknamed "biryaniaite"; the model estimate was a maximum of 748.72 megatonnes CO2e per year and the authors acknowledged the model's limits. According to the authors, this work is the first in systematic modelling and thermal-energy measurement of collapse-vent structures.
Where Does Confusion Happen in the Exam?
Keep the figures source-wise: more than 700 megatonnes (±140) CO2e per year is the abstract's estimate for the collapse structures, while 748.72 megatonnes is the maximum model estimate reported in the press for Jharia's fires - count the two separately. The heat energy is 116 million MWh (±23 million) per year. The 4000 degrees Celsius is a modelling-based possible temperature, not a measured one. Paralava is rock melted by fire, not volcanic lava; "biryaniaite" is the researchers' informal nickname, not a named new mineral. Dates: the paper 18 May 2026, the news 20 May. Mining in Jharia since 1894; the first fire in 1916 at Bhowra colliery.
The Direction of Preparation from Past Questions:
Statement-based questions have appeared in the official General Studies Paper-I of UPSC Prelims 2023. So prepare the basis of the figure, the place and the mechanism separately. The questions below are original practice, not actual PYQs.
Prelims Style: Practice Questions
1. On the basis of the research paper's abstract, consider the following statements:
1. Jharia's collapse structures can be up to 10 metres in diameter. 2. Iron-rich nanometre layers indicate extremely high-temperature interaction like meteorite entry. 3. Jharia's emissions were lower than the UK's domestic emissions in 2023.
How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Answer and Reason
See Answer and Explanation
Answer: (b) only two. Statements 1 and 2 are in the abstract. According to the abstract, emissions in 2023 were about twice the UK's domestic emissions - Statement 3 is wrong.
2. According to the abstract, what are the estimated emissions from Jharia's collapse structures?
- (a) 7 megatonnes CO2-equivalent per year
- (b) 70 megatonnes CO2-equivalent per year
- (c) More than 700 megatonnes (±140) CO2-equivalent per year
- (d) 7000 megatonnes CO2-equivalent per year
Answer and Reason
See Answer and Explanation
Answer: (c). The abstract has the model estimate of more than 700 megatonnes (±140) CO2-equivalent per year from the collapse structures; in the press, 748.72 megatonnes was reported as the maximum for Jharia's fires.
3. When and where is the first recorded mention of a coal fire in Jharia?
- (a) In Jharia in 1894
- (b) At Bhowra colliery in 1916
- (c) At Ena colliery in 1956
- (d) At Tisra colliery in 1972
Answer and Reason
See Answer and Explanation
Answer: (b). According to the journal, mining in Jharia began in 1894 and the first fire was recorded in 1916 at Bhowra colliery; in 1917 it spread to the nearby Sendra colliery.
Sources:
Communications Earth & Environment 7: research paper (nature.com, open access, 18 May 2026).
The Hindu: Jharia coal fires, 20 May 2026 (thehindu.com).
UPSC: Prelims 2023, question format.
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