Annual growth rings inside the ancient remains of Scots pine trees in the Southern French Alps have revealed evidence of the largest-known solar storm, one that might have fried satellites and knocked out electricity grids had it occurred today.
sending a large burst of energetic particles into space - occurred 14,300 years ago. Evidence for it manifested as a huge spike in- an isotope, or form, of the element carbon - detected in the growth rings of the tree remains along the Drouzet River near the town of Gap.
"About 10 years ago, scientists discovered that extreme solar events including solar flares and coronal mass ejections can create short-term bursts of energetic particles that can create spikes in radiocarbon production occurring over the course of a single year," said Edouard Bard, a professor of climate and ocean evolution at the Collège de France and the research center CEREGE.
"They could do enormous damage to our electricity grids, potentially causing nationwide blackouts lasting months, permanently putting satellites out of action with the huge bursts of energetic particles destroying their solar panels and stopping us communicating with them, and pose severe radiation risks to astronauts and aviation. In the worst-case scenario, the impact could cost us billions, or even trillions, of dollars in lost GDP," Heaton added.
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