The timing of the ca-660 BCE Miyake solar-proton event constrained to between 664 and 663 BCE
Extreme solar energetic particle events, known as Miyake events, are rare phenomena observed by cosmogenic isotopes, with only six documented. The timing of the ca. 660 BCE Miyake event remains undefined until now. Here, we assign its occurrence to 664-663 BCE through new radiocarbon measurements in gymnosperm larch tree rings from arctic-alpine biomes (Yamal and Altai). Using a 22-box carbon cycle model and Bayesian statistics, we calculate the radiocarbon production rate during the event that is 3.2-4.8 times higher than the average solar modulation, and comparable to the 774-775 CE solar-proton event. The prolonged radiocarbon signature manifests a 12‰ rise over two years. The non-uniform signal in the tree rings is likely driven by the low rate of CO<sub>2</sub> gas exchange between the trees and the ambient atmosphere, and the high residence time of radiocarbon in the post-event stratosphere. We caution about using the event's pronounced signature for precise single-year-dating.
Authors
- Tamás Varga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2735-1375)
- Mihály Molnár (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4382-9508)
- Valerie Livina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3759-9013)
- A. J. T. Jull (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4079-4947)
- Rashit Hantemirov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3033-8312)
- Irina P. Panyushkina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8854-2637)
- Ivan Kontuĺ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2501-2855)
- Igor Sljusarenko
- Vladymir Myglan
- Vladymir Kukarskih
Institutions
- Ural Federal University (RU)
- National Physical Laboratory (GB)
- University of Arizona (US)
- HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (HU)
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (RU)
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (RU)
- Siberian Federal University (RU)
- Comenius University Bratislava (SK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2024-08-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01618-x
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.88
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Government of the United Kingdom
- University of Leeds
- European Commission
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- European Regional Development Fund