Mysterious Beryllium-10 Spike Found in Pacific Ocean Sediments

Researchers uncover a 10-million-year-old anomaly in beryllium-10 levels, potentially linked to cosmic or oceanic events.

A significant spike in beryllium-10, a rare radioactive isotope, was discovered in Pacific Ocean sediments dating back 10 million years.
The anomaly could serve as a global geologic 'time marker,' improving the accuracy of dating methods for deep-time events.
Two main theories are proposed: a nearby supernova increasing cosmic ray exposure or changes in Antarctic ocean circulation redistributing the isotope unevenly.
Researchers ruled out alternative explanations, such as ice-melting events or magnetic field changes, as insufficient to account for the spike.
Further studies and global sample comparisons are planned to determine whether the anomaly has a cosmic or localized oceanic origin.