Ancient ice reveals mysterious solar storm

A research team led by Lund University in Sweden has found evidence of an extreme solar storm that occurred about 9,200 years ago. It is believed that our planet is less exposed to such events when the sun is in a more quiet phase.

All life on Earth is dependent on the sun. Problems can be caused by our life-giving companion. When there is a lot of activity on the surface of the sun, it can cause a storm. This can cause power failures.

Predicting solar storms is difficult. It is believed that they are more likely during an active phase of the sun. A new study published in Nature Communications shows that this may not always be the case.

We discovered traces of a massive solar storm that hit Earth during one of the sun's passive phases about 9,200 years ago, according to Raimund Muscheler, a geology researcher at Lund University.

The drill cores were searched for peaks of the radioactive isotopes. These are produced by high-energy particles that reach Earth and can be preserved.

This is time consuming and expensive analytical work. Raimund Muscheler says that they were pleasantly surprised when they found such a peak, indicating a hitherto unknown giant solar storm in connection with low solar activity.

If a solar storm were to happen today, it would have dire consequences. It could pose a danger to air traffic and astronauts as well as a collapse of various communication systems.

These storms are not included in risk assessments. It is important to analyze what these events mean for technology and how we can protect ourselves.

More information: Chiara I. Paleari et al, Cosmogenic radionuclides reveal an extreme solar particle storm near a solar minimum 9125 years BP, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27891-4 Journal information: Nature Communications Citation: Ancient ice reveals mysterious solar storm (2022, January 26) retrieved 26 January 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-01-ancient-ice-reveals-mysterious-solar.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.