Overview

• The 12350 BC solar particle storm was 18% stronger than the AD 775 event, previously the most powerful recorded in tree-ring archives.
• This event was over 500 times more intense than the largest solar storm of the modern satellite era in 2005.
• Researchers developed and validated the SOCOL:14C-Ex model to analyze radiocarbon spikes under glacial climate conditions, confirming the storm's unprecedented strength.
• The 12350 BC storm is the only known extreme solar event outside the Holocene epoch, expanding the timeline of solar activity studies beyond 12,000 years.
• The findings establish a new worst-case scenario for solar storms, highlighting potential risks to modern infrastructure such as satellites, power grids, and communication systems.