What would happen if we turned the telescopes used for space studies to our planet? For example, if we examine our forests, what will we see? One of the things we can come across is traces of radiation storms, according to a new study.
Scientists who discovered radioactive traces in tree rings revealed that the Earth has faced radioactive storms several times in the past 10 thousand years. According to the article published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A, the actual cause is not yet known, although there are reasonably suspicious solar flares.
There have been radioactive storms in the past
When large amounts of radiation hit the upper layers of the atmosphere, the nitrogen atoms turn into radioactive carbon-14, or radiocarbon. Radiocarbon passes through the air and mixes with various structures. Among them, of course, there are trees.
Scientists use radiocarbons to measure the age of structures. Because carbon-14 turns into nitrogen atom again by radiating over time. Thus, radiocarbon measurement reveals the age of the remains. Earth’s magnetic field protects us from radioactive radiation from the galaxy and the Sun. In the past, this area was rather weak. Therefore, the radiations could affect our planet more.
In fact, it is not the first time that traces of radiation storms have been found in trees. Japanese scientist Fusa Miyake detected an increase in radiation in trees dating from 774, revealing that in a single year these trees were exposed to as much radiation as they would normally be for years.
The current research has revealed that a similar situation is seen in different regions. Almost every region of our planet had similar emanations, although more in regions close to the poles. It remains to be seen whether similar events will occur in the future.
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