The strongest solar storm in history. If it happened today, it would be a tragedy

Geomagnetic storms, often also called solar or magnetic, are sudden and intense changes in the magnetosphere, which is the magnetic field of our planet. Increased solar activity, especially coronal mass ejections and numerous solar flares, is responsible for them.

Storms of this type make their presence known on Earth from time to time. Fortunately, most of them are phenomena of low intensity (it is determined on a five-point scale, where G1 represents the weakest storms, and G5 - the strongest), and their effects are not so severe. Mostly they result in minor disruptions in the operation of satellites, power grids, changes in the behavior of migrating animals, or an increase in the frequency of Aurora Borealis appearances at high latitudes.

The greatest threat, however, is posed by the strongest G4 and G5 class storms. In their case, permanent damage to navigation systems and power outages are possible. Fortunately, they occur very rarely. Scientists have found evidence that such storms can cause much disruption.

In the scientific journal "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A," they report that they have identified the strongest geomagnetic storm in history. In their opinion, it even eclipses the so-called Carrington Event, an exceptionally strong solar storm that took place in 1859. This 19th-century event caused auroras that were even visible in the Caribbean and led to numerous fires at telegraph stations in Europe and North America.

Researchers have been led to an even more powerful cosmic phenomenon that occurred at the end of the last ice age, by trees located in the French Alps. Scientists were searching for traces of so-called Miyake events, which are series of violent and sudden increases in cosmic radiation, which are recorded in the tree rings.

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Experts examined 140 partially fossilized trunks of Pinus sylvestris trapped in the banks of the Drouzet river, which are currently eroding. They clarified in a statement that "we compared the widths of individual rings in many trunks, and then carefully linked individual trees to create a longer timeline, using a method called dendrochronology". In this way, they noticed a huge increase in the level of radiocarbon 14,300 years ago. It was caused by a powerful solar storm, the largest ever identified.

The Eureka Alert service explains that so far nine such extreme solar storms, known as Miyake events, have been identified. They have taken place over the last 15,000 years. The most recent confirmed ones occurred in 774 and 993 AD. However, scientists have determined that the newly discovered solar storm, which occurred 14,300 years ago, "is the largest ever discovered - approximately twice as large as those two".

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Scientists believe that a similar solar storm, if it occurred today, would have catastrophic consequences for our modern technological society, potentially destroying telecommunications, satellite systems, and power grids. It could permanently damage transformers in power grids, causing widespread power outages lasting months, as well as pose a serious radiation risk for astronauts.

Therefore, researchers believe that understanding similar events from the past is crucial for our future. Such knowledge will allow us to protect ourselves from the effects of future, potentially strong solar storms and create more resilient communication and energy systems.