Evidence of ‘enormous’ solar storm suggests devastating event could be around corner
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An “enormous” solar storm that struck ancient Earth has provided a stark warning another event of this size could be around the corner. “If that solar storm had occurred today, it could have had severe effects on our high-tech society.” Relatively minor solar storms that have struck in recent years have caused extensive power cuts in parts of Canada and Sweden. To find clues about the regularity of such events, Dr Muscheler and his colleagues took polar ice samples and tested them for molecules formed by solar particles entering the atmosphere – which spiked in the ice dating back to 660BC.
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