Earth’s oldest trees reveal history’s strongest solar storms
Although humanity continuously reckons with many problems here on Earth — war, political turmoil, epidemics and pandemics, all while the energy, climate, and water crises intensify — it’s important to remember just how relentless the Universe can be. While earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters haven’t exactly ceased in the meantime, there’s a completely…
The Earth's oldest trees, spread across the globe, reveal clues about humanity's most powerful solar storm in history, dating back over 1200 years. Scientists discovered a significant spike in carbon-14 levels in Earth's atmosphere between 774 and 775 AD, found in tree rings worldwide. After a decade of research, they concluded that the spike was caused by a solar storm from the Sun.
This ancient solar storm may have been more powerful than any previously recorded, posing a greater risk to Earth than previously thought. Solar storms, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, can release matter from the Sun into the Solar System, with the most energetic events reaching Earth within 24 hours. These events can cause widespread electrical fires and power station failures, costing trillions of dollars and potentially displacing millions of lives.
Historically, the Carrington Event in 1859 was the most significant recorded solar storm, causing widespread auroras, telegraph disruptions, and even igniting fires in unpowered systems. With the rapid advancements in technology, a similar event today could lead to an unprecedented catastrophe. While there have been other solar storms since 1859, they have not caused significant damage.
However, a large-magnitude, energetic flare or coronal mass ejection could severely damage our electrical and electronic infrastructure, leading to trillions in damages and millions of casualties. Incredibly, scientists were able to reconstruct the details of this ancient solar storm using ancient cedar trees. These trees, some of which are thousands of years old, have been growing with a new set of rings each year.
By analyzing the carbon-14 abundances in the tree rings, scientists have been able to reconstruct atmospheric carbon-14 levels at the time each ring was formed. This method has provided a unique glimpse into the past, revealing the existence of a solar storm that occurred over 1000 years before modern solar astronomy existed.
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