Mysterious radiation burst recorded in tree rings

Nature ^ | Sunday, June 3, 2012 | Richard A. Lovett

[SunkenCiv]

Just over 1,200 years ago, the planet was hit by an extremely intense burst of high-energy radiation of unknown cause, scientists studying tree-ring data have found.

The radiation burst, which seems to have hit between AD 774 and AD 775, was detected by looking at the amounts of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 in tree rings that formed during the AD 775 growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. The increase in ¹⁴C levels is so clear that the scientists, led by Fusa Miyake, a cosmic-ray physicist from Nagoya University in Japan, conclude that the atmospheric level of ¹⁴C must have jumped by 1.2% over the course of no longer than a year, about 20 times more than the normal rate of variation...

The only known events that can produce a ¹⁴C spike are floods of γ-rays from supernova explosions or proton storms from giant solar flares. But neither seems likely, Miyake says, because each should have been large enough to have had other effects that would have been observed at the time.

A massive supernova, for example, should have been bright enough to produce a 'new' star visible even in the daytime, as was the case for two known supernovae in AD 1006 and AD 1054. Such an explosion would have needed to be brighter than either of these, Miyake says, because those events were not large enough to leave traces in the ¹⁴C record.

It is possible, he says, that the proposed event might have occurred in the far southern skies, where astronomers of the era wouldn't have seen it. But still, he says, if it did happen, today's X-ray and radio astronomers should have found signs of a "tremendously bright" remnant of the explosion.

[stormer]

There are dozens of living trees known to be between 3,00 and 4,000 years old. In Sweden there is a spruce that has lived over 9,000 years.

[STD]

I took the year 774 AD and searched for disruptions, which might indicate a successful society experiencing a sudden intense struggle for survival. Famine during the Dark Ages was an all too common occurrence. However, when a very successful nation-state experiences political upheaval, it's most often due to a protracted famine like these researchers insist would follow a supernova, or a CME.

The fascinating results include the demise of the Viking founded nation of Lombard, which recorded ten years of unprecedented instability beginning in 774 AD and ending only when Charles the Great, Charlemagne, the First Holy Roman Emperor took control of Lombard. Why does this matter to you and I living during the 21st Century? Without the defeat of the hardy Viking Kingdom of Lombard and the rise of Charlemagne there might never have been a Roman Catholic Church and the Renaissance might look a whole lot different to us today. Charlemagne, most importantly secured the safety of the Papacy in Rome for all time. The rise of the Judeo-Christian West was assured and Almighty God is still in complete control of His-story!

[STD]

Charlemagne also defeated the Moslem horde BTW!

[Raycpa]

Is carbon-14 used for dating ? If so, would such bursts cause skewing in results?

[GraceG]

Could be Aliens if they fired up an anti-matter drive near earth....

[Sirius Lee]

From the NASA website. http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/short_burst.html

Image above: Ground based Observation by W.M. Keck Observatory: The location of the gamma-ray burst as determined by the Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT) is shown by the blue circle on this infra-red image of the sky from the W.M. Keck telescope. The burst went off in the outskirts of this huge galaxy 2.6 billion lights years away. The location outside, but near, the galaxy fits perfectly with the theory that short bursts are due to black hole formation when orbiting neutron stars collide. The gamma-ray source has not yet been securely identified and scientists are most interested in the 4 objects within Swift's X-ray telescopes error circle. Click on image to enlarge. Credit: Cenko, Soifer, Bian, Desai, Kulkarni (Caltech), Berger (Carnegie), Dey and Jannuzi (NOAO)

[STD]

I took the year 774 AD and searched for disruptions, which might indicate a successful society experiencing a sudden intense struggle for survival. Famine during the Dark Ages was an all too common occurrence. However, when a very successful nation-state experiences political upheaval, it’s most often due to a protracted famine like these researchers insist would follow a supernova, or a CME.
The fascinating results include the demise of the Viking founded nation of Lombard, which recorded ten years of unprecedented instability beginning in 774 AD and ending only when Charles the Great, Charlemagne, the First Holy Roman Emperor took control of Lombard. Why does this matter to you and I living during the 21st Century? Without the defeat of the hardy Viking Kingdom of Lombard and the rise of Charlemagne there might never have been a Roman Catholic Church and the Renaissance might look a whole lot different to us today. Charlemagne, most importantly secured the safety of the Papacy in Rome for all time. The rise of the Judeo-Christian West was assured and Almighty God is still in complete control of His-story!

[STD]

I took the year 774 AD and searched for disruptions, which might indicate a successful society experiencing a sudden intense struggle for survival. Famine during the Dark Ages was an all too common occurrence. However, when a very successful nation-state experiences political upheaval, it’s most often due to a protracted famine like these researchers insist would follow a supernova, or a CME.
The fascinating results include the demise of the Viking founded nation of Lombard, which recorded ten years of unprecedented instability beginning in 774 AD and ending only when Charles the Great, Charlemagne, the First Holy Roman Emperor took control of Lombard. Why does this matter to you and I living during the 21st Century? Without the defeat of the hardy Viking Kingdom of Lombard and the rise of Charlemagne there might never have been a Roman Catholic Church and the Renaissance might look a whole lot different to us today. Charlemagne, most importantly secured the safety of the Papacy in Rome for all time. The rise of the Judeo-Christian West was assured and Almighty God is still in complete control of His-story!

[Fred Nerks]

So how has this rather puny looking Picea abies lived so long? Its ability to grow a new trunk when the old one dies is the main reason.

The Worlds Oldest Organism.link

[rawcatslyentist]

Crab Nebula supernova particles, about 300 years early?

[aimhigh]

Is carbon-14 used for dating ? If so, would such bursts cause skewing in results?

A question like that can get you put into a rehabilitation camp.

[Graewoulf]

Great Find. Thanks!

[bigheadfred]

Enough radiation for genetic mutations? Hmmm...something for me to research. Thanks for the ping.

[aruanan]

or proton storms from giant solar flares.

Ha ha. Yeah, baby, zeta-pinch aurora. Too bad the one proposed for the late Stone Age/early Bronze Age doesn't have representative tree ring data from 10,000 BC, though it should be possible to see chemical evidence of the huge proton influx in Greenland ice cores.

[EternalVigilance]

There are some in North Idaho older than that.

Some of them are 2000-3000 years old.

Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars. One of my favorite places.

[skinkinthegrass]

"75 million years ago"I understand; hence the actress
(who's known for out-of-body experience)

[null and void]

Yes, but as far as I know Shirley MacLaine wasn’t in scientology.

I also don’t think she uses scientology exteriorization techniques to have out of body experiences.

[skinkinthegrass]

Well, your right...all my knowledge of scientology came from South Park. *ducking*

[Condor51]

Just over 1,200 years ago, the planet was hit by an extremely intense burst of high-energy radiation of unknown cause ...... The only known events that can produce a ¹⁴C spike are floods of γ-rays from supernova explosions or proton storms from giant solar flares. But neither seems likely,

[killermosquito]

I agree. You’re in the wrong forum. Take your smut elsewhere.