About 14,300 years ago, a distinctive tree standing in what is now known as the French Alps is now a message from the sun. This information was highly engraved in its atoms. On that day, high -end energy molecules bombed the ground, and changed the air chemistry. This chaos left an indelible sign in tree rings: a sharp and sudden height in radioactive carbon.
This old pulse of cosmic radiation is located in the wooden fibers throughout these years. But now, scientists have decoded its meaning. The researchers claim that the event was the most powerful solar storm of the solar particles ever.
“This event creates a new scenario, the worst cases,” said Ksenia Gulopinko, a post -PhD researcher at the University of Olu in Finland and the study author. “Understanding its measure is crucial to assessing the risks posed by the future solar storms of modern infrastructure such as satellites, energy networks and communication systems.”
The scenario of the worst new case
The discovery began with a piece of old wood, recovered from layers of ice sediments in southwestern Europe. Its rings, each of which is a sign of a year of growth, bears an unusual signature.
These radiological nails, known as the name Miyaki eventsRare but of great benefit to scientists. The Japanese physicist Fusa Miyake for the first time in 2012, caused by solar particle storms-protons monuments and other high-energy particles that were thrown from the sun. Unlike solar glow or coronary mass ejaculation, these particles can penetrate the Earth’s magnetic field and create a global shower of radiation. When nitrogen atoms collide in the atmosphere, they create carbon 14, which are absorbed by trees and then absorbed during optical representation.
Golubenko and her colleague, Professor Ilya Usoskin, used a new model to understand height. Called 14C-EX, the model mimics how the events of the solar particles interact with the atmosphere of the Earth under cold ice conditions in the late Pesocene.
Most of the previous models cannot explain how climate and geographical magnetic conditions can change the effects of these old events. “Our new model raises the current restriction of Holosin and our ability to analyze radioactive carbon data extends even due to the circumstances of the ice climate,” said Gulopinko.
To confirm the accuracy of the model, the researchers tested it for the first time on a well -known solar storm: An event 775 mSo far is considered the most intense in the radioactive carbon record. The model passed the test, then turned into prehistoric external.
What it revealed was amazing: The Storm 12350 BC was 18 percent stronger than the 775 event. Compared to the largest solar storm seen during the satellite era – in 2005 – it was more than 500 times more intense.
What if it happened today?
In our time, solar storms often make headlines when Ura is born or briefly disrupts communications. the 1859 Carrington eventOne of the most powerful solar torches ever, caused the failure of the telegraph systems and raised global Orora. But it was not solar particles.
This type of storm that was struck in 12350 BC belongs to a more dangerous category: the events of extremist solar particles (or Espes). Eight such events have been identified during the past 12,000 years, including episodes in 994 m, 663 BC, and 5259 BC
These episodes are “up to three stronger orders in size” than any solar storm observed in the era of satellite, according to a study conducted in 2024. If one happens now – especially during a period of weak geometrical shielding – the effects can be severe. We will have power outages, damaged satellites, and even the biological harm of exposed humans at high altitudes.
“The old event in 12350 BC is the only known event of extremist solar particles outside the Holosin era.” This means that it occurred relatively before the relatively warm and stable period that hosted all human civilization.
The new research emphasizes the need to think after the recorded date when assessing the potential threat to the sun. While the current solar cycle reached its climax in late 2024, future courses can bring a stronger activity of the type that we cannot even understand. actually, The storm “Ganon” in May 2024 It causes short -term disorders of communications and navigation. It was the most powerful solar storm in two decades – the child’s play compared to what the storm would be launched in 13350 BC today.
warning
By successfully simulating the radioactive carbon production under the circumstances of the Ice Age, the SOCOL model: 14C-EX opens the door to studying solar activity through various bags.
“This last discovery expands the schedule and the intensity of well -known solar activity and sets new supreme borders for such solar phenomena,” the authors of the study writes.
In a world where the sun looks quiet, this work reveals its ability to destroy. Fusion oven in the midst of our solar system is able to shoot a scale we only started to understand.
The results appeared in the magazine Earth science messages and planets.
