14,000-year-old solar superstorm could destroy modern life in seconds, say experts

Solar Orbiter’s widest high-res view of the Sun (Image: ESA)

The Sun has always had a fiery temper. While we may fear solar flares today, researchers say Earth faced a solar storm thousands of years ago that would dwarf anything modern satellites have ever seen.

Clues in Trees and Ice Reveal Solar Fury

A new study reveals a powerful solar storm struck Earth over 14,000 years ago, around 12,350 BC. Evidence was found in Scots Pine trees by the Drouzet River in France. These trees showed a sharp rise in carbon-14, a radioactive isotope. This kind of spike is known as a "Miyake Event", named after physicist Fusa Miyake, who first identified such changes in 2012.

The findings, to appear in Earth and Planetary Science Letters in July 2025, were supported by high levels of beryllium-10 in Greenland's ice. The two radioactive isotopes matched, confirming a major solar outburst with global impact.

More Powerful Than Anything in Recorded History

Scientists say this event was far stronger than the famous 1859 Carrington Event. It was even 500 times more powerful than a 2005 storm captured by satellites. Researchers Kseniia Golubenko and Ilya Usoskin from Finland's University of Oulu created a detailed chemistry-climate model. They added factors like ancient sea levels, shifting ice sheets and Earth's past magnetic field to understand the ancient storm better.

The storm occurred during the Ice Age, which made analysis tricky. Earth's magnetic shield and atmosphere were very different then. Despite this, the researchers showed the storm unleashed solar particles in massive amounts.

Usoskin explained that, in 2005, a person flying over the poles could receive a year’s worth of cosmic radiation in one hour. During the ancient event, the same dose would have hit in only eight seconds.

Looking Back to Protect the Future

Solar storms pose a real threat to today’s technology. Even smaller ones can disrupt satellites, power grids and GPS systems. By studying events like this, scientists hope to better understand our Sun’s history. Tree rings and ice cores now offer a glimpse into solar tantrums from the distant past. They also remind us that the most powerful solar storm may not lie ahead—but behind us.