A recent discovery on the seabed ofPacific Ocean It could help us know the past events that have affected our planet; A radioactive anomaly, in fact, could push scientists and experts in the sector to rewrite certain theories. A concentration of beryllium-10, which is part of the radioactive isotopes, provides new theories on the events that have occurred on Earth.
The new study, published in the magazine Nature Communicationopens the door to new interpretations. To date, we know that the Oceani seabed is largely examined by scientists, who obtain valuable information, given that it is one of the Geological archives more uncontaminated on the globe. In fact, we are talking about a large quantity of information relating to millions of years of environmental conditions and changes. Date what is found on seabed It is important, and the fossils are examined by using the biostrigraphy, the examination of the isotopic or elementary composition, and the magnetosticiare. Another technique is that of the dating of cosmogenic nuclids. Just on this last aspect, the discovery is based.
The samples taken from the seabed of the ocean emerged an abundant concentration of a radioactive isotope called Beerillium-10. It is a real radioactive anomaly. In fact, Berliner-10 is found in fair quantities in the earth’s atmosphere, given that it originates from the interaction of cosmic rays with oxygen and nitrogen. It is not normal to find its high quantity in the seabed of the Pacific Ocean, and this has prompted the experts to focus on the new data. In the depths of the oceans there is more beryllium-10 than you imagined.
“We came across a previously unknown anomaly. This isotope is used to date geological samples, allowing a dating that can extend in the past of beyond 10 million yearsbut in the samples analyzed we found a significant accumulation during the late Miocene, which is almost double compared to what we had foreseen“, said Dominik Koll, professor of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossandorf of Dresden (Germany) and one of the main authors of the study.
But what would it lead to this incredible accumulation of beryllium-10? The explanations could be two. One of the causes could be the oceanic circulation In the Antarctica area: scientists speculate that this may have changed the point in white about 10-12 million years ago, causing a non-uniform distribution of beryllium-10 on the planet. Or the phenomenon could have an astrophysical nature. In this case, the action of a supernova which, being near the earth, could have caused an increase in the intensity of the cosmic radiation, with the consequent accumulation of beryllium-10.
Or, always remaining in the field of astrophysics, our planet may have had problems with the protective solar shield (heliosphere) due to a collision with a interstellar cloudsand this would have allowed a greater accumulation of cosmic radioactions. Both are fascinating, and treat events that would occur 10 million years ago. The research has just begun and promises surprises.