An ancient tree revealed the remains of the largest solar storm

Ancient pine trees in the French Alps have led researchers to discover the largest solar storm in Earth's history. Evidence suggests that around 14,300 years ago, a "massive" spike in radio carbon levels occurred, which scientists believe was caused by this newly identified solar storm. This research, published in the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions on Tuesday, demonstrates the potential power of solar storms.

An international group of researchers from the College de France, CEREGE, IMBE, Aix-Marseille University, and the University of Leeds stated that they measured the levels of radio carbon in ancient trees in the southern French Alps. They explained that the rings found in tree trunks, which they describe as "subfossils," reflect significant changes in the environment, making them useful when searching for clues about past events.

The rings of one sampled tree, a species known as Scots pine, showed that around 14,300 years ago, there was a "spike" in radio carbon levels. The team then compared this sample to one taken from Greenland ice cores to confirm whether radio carbon could be linked to a "massive" solar storm. Edward Bard, a professor of climate and ocean evolution at the College de France and CEREGE and the lead author of this study, explained that radio carbon is continuously produced through chain reactions.

Bard said in a press statement about the study, "Scientists have realized that severe solar events, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections, can also create short-lived bursts of high-energy particles that are preserved as spikes in radio carbon." According to researchers, based on the samples from the Alps and Greenland, what they were observing seemed to be evidence of a large solar storm.

Mike Hapgood, a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Leeds, commented on the discovery of the storm, saying, "Radiocarbon dating offers an extraordinary method for studying Earth's history and reconstructing significant events it has experienced." Researchers say that if a solar storm of this magnitude were to occur today, it would be a "catastrophic" event for modern society, with the potential to disrupt telecommunications, satellites, and power grids - which cost billions for us.

Hapgood also emphasized that understanding the past accurately is essential if we want to predict our future and mitigate potential risks but did not explain how this information could be used for prediction. The largest recorded solar storm in human history occurred in 1859, known as the Carrington Event, and it caused "massive" disruptions to infrastructure. According to researchers involved in this study, that solar storm "affected telegraph machines and created such bright auroras that birds began singing, believing that dawn was approaching."

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