Within the rings of a tree, scientists have discovered remnants of the strongest ever solar storm in history.
An increase in the levels of radiocarbon found in the sub fossilized 14,300-year-old tree in the Drouzet River, in the Southern French Alps has given proof of the power of the sun, according to a study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Of Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences.
It was later found that the patterns were similar to the beryllium in Greenland ice cores which reveals that the radiocarbon increase was caused by a massive solar storm.
Further, the evidence discovered within the rings of the ancient tree reveals that the solar storm was much more powerful than the Carrington Event of 1859, which disrupted the telegraph system at the time. This warns us of the disaster that could occur due to a solar storm and further, result in trillions of dollars worth of damage if it takes place in the present time.
Tim Heaton, co-author of the paper and professor of applied statistics at the University of Leeds, England, said, “Extreme solar storms could have huge impacts on Earth.”
“Radiocarbon is constantly being produced in the upper atmosphere through a chain of reactions initiated by cosmic rays,” shared Eduoard Bard, lead author of the study and professor of climate and ocean evolution at the College de France and CEREGE. He added, “Recently, scientists have found that extreme solar events including solar flares and coronal mass ejections can also create short-term bursts of energetic particles which are preserved as huge spikes in radiocarbon production occurring over the course of just a single year.”
A solar storm is when the sun releases a large amount of energy as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This results in streams of electrical charges and magnetic fields toward the earth at high speeds, causing severe damage to communication systems, power grids, and more.
Tim said, “Such super storms could permanently damage the transformers in our electricity grids, resulting in huge and widespread blackouts lasting months.” He added, “They could also result in permanent damage to the satellites that we all rely on for navigation and telecommunication, leaving them unusable. They would also create severe radiation risks to astronauts.”
