New research reveals the strongest solar event ever detected, in 12350 BC

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119383 An international team of scientists has discovered an extreme spike in radiocarbon corresponding to the year 12350 BC during the dusk of the last Ice Age. However, the strength of the event could not be assessed earlier because of the lack of an appropriate model. It has now been identified as the most powerful solar particle storm known to date—a colossal space weather storm that struck Earth 14,300 years ago. This recent finding expands the timeline and intensity of known solar activity and sets a new upper boundary for such solar phenomena. In the study, postdoctoral researcher Kseniia Golubenko and Professor Ilya Usoskin at the University of Oulu, Finland, used their newly developed chemistry–climate model called SOCOL ... Read full article.