Scientists have found signs of an enormous solar storm that crashed against Earth more than 9000 years ago.
The ancient superstorm was caused by a wave of hot plasma and magnetism from the Sun, and it is larger than anything we have recorded in recent history.
Scientists are concerned about their ability to predict when the Sun will let loose.
This ancient superstorm appears to have struck during a quiet phase of the solar cycle, and is on a whole other scale than the solar storms that occur every few years.
Scientists warn that we are unprepared for a solar storm of this size. The infrastructure we have built today is vulnerable to the effects of the magnetic field, and experts still haven't figured out how to predict these rare yet disastrous events.
If one of these superstorms were to hit tomorrow, it could have a domino effect on everything from air traffic control to astronauts in space, as well as the internet and electricity grids.
When we had less infrastructure at stake, what happened in 1859? The Carrington event was a solar storm that caused the collapse of telegraph systems in Europe and North America, as well as triggering the Auroras in Australia, Hawaii, and China.
What happened 9,000 years ago could give the notorious event a run for its money.
A solar storm is usually triggered by a solar flare. If the burp is big enough, energetic particles can hit Earth in as little as 15 hours.
The reaction produces several radioactive nuclides.
We can better understand how often extreme solar events occur with the help of the trace of these distinct isotopes that are frozen in ice or trapped in sediment.
Some of the largest production peaks ever detected in Earth's distant past have now been revealed by the recent ice core analysis.
There is strong evidence that there was an extreme solar storm about 9,125 years ago.
Raimund Muscheler from Lund University in Sweden says that analytical work is time-consuming and expensive.
We were pleasantly surprised when we found such a peak, indicating a giant solar storm in connection with low solar activity.
The largest solar storm recorded to date in other ice cores and tree rings may have been larger than this one.
According to the authors of the paper, both of the prehistoric storms were much larger than anything we have seen before.
"These enormous storms are currently not included in risk assessments."
It is of paramount importance to analyze what these events could mean for technology and how we can protect ourselves.
The Sun could catch us unprepared.
Nature Communications published the study.
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