993–994 Carbon-14 Spike on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The 993–994 carbon-14 spike was a rapid 0.91% increase in
The 993–994 carbon-14 spike was a rapid 0.91% increase in carbon-14
Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...
isotope content from tree rings. This event was also confirmed with an associated increase of beryllium-10
Beryllium-10 (10Be) is a radioactive isotope of beryllium. It is formed in the Earth's atmosphere mainly by cosmic ray spallation of nitrogen and oxygen. Beryllium-10 has a half-life of 1.39 × 106 years, and decays by beta decay to stable boron- ...
in Antarctic ice core samples, supporting the hypothesis that this event was of solar origin. There were several astronomical observations during this time that correspond with the 14C and 10Be spikes, but these texts are few and far between.
In 2021, a scientific paper used the 993–994 carbon-14 spike as a benchmark in dendrochronology
Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
(tree-ring studies) to precisely determine that Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
were present in L’Anse aux Meadows
L'Anse aux Meadows ( lit. Meadows Cove) is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse settlement dating to approximately 1,000 years ago. The site is located on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland in the ...
in Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
exactly 1000 years prior, in 1021 AD.
Historical observations
The solar storm hypothesis is heavily supported by several observations of aurora events from late 992 inKorea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, usually describing a red sky, presumably due to major auroras. These historical observations don't completely prove the cause of the 993-994 14C spike, but show evidence of a strong solar event taking place late 992, as they were recorded within a relatively short time frame.
In the Korean Peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, between December 992 and January 993, a text described "heaven's gate" opening one night.
In the Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
region of present-day Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, late 992, several aurora observations were made. One set of observations, recorded October 21, 992, noted that the sky reddened three times. Another set of observations, made December 26, 992, mentioned a light as bright as the sun shining for an hour, then reddening the sky, before vanishing completely.
In the Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
region of present-day Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, December 26, 992, texts described the sky as "blood-red" and having a "fiery hue".
Similar events
The 993–994 carbon-14 spike was one of only a few well-documented 14C events. Prior to this 14C event, there was a considerably larger one, the 774-775 carbon-14 spike, which was around 1.7 times as strong than the 993-994 event. Both events also had subsequent 10Be spikes, further proving that they are from strong solar activity.See also
*List of solar storms
Solar storms of different types are caused by disturbances on the Sun, most often from coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares from active regions, or, less often, from coronal holes. Minor to active solar storms (i.e. storming restricted t ...
* 774-775 carbon-14 spike
References
Geomagnetic storms Dendrology Stratigraphy 993 994 {{environment-stub