Tree-rings Reveal Secret Clocks that Could Reset Key Dates across the Ancient World
Phys Org | August 16, 2016
In a new paper, the authors explain how harvesting such data could revolutionise the study of ancient civilisations such as the Egyptian and Mayan worlds. Until now scholars have had only vague evidence for dating when events happened during the earliest periods of civilisation, with estimates being within hundreds of years. However, the unusually high levels of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 found in tree-rings laid down during the radiation bursts could help reliably pinpoint dates. The distinct spikes act as time-markers like secret clocks contained in timber, papyri, baskets made from living plants or other organic materials [...]
More than 1,200 years ago, some mysterious event was recorded in tree rings in a Japanese cedar forest.While one study suggested a solar flare was to blame, a new group of researchers are pointing toward a gamma-ray burst, a powerful space explosion.The ancient cedar trees record a rare event around 774 or 775 A.D.
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| [Click to enlarge] "Time profiles of the measured Δ14C content in tree-rings from different species and different locations around the world. The two spikes are obvious, and separated by exactly 219 calendar years. For ease of display, the data obtained on the kauri samples from New Zealand have all been elevated by 5‰, an amount which approximately corresponds to the offset between Northern and Southern Hemisphere Δ14C values." Source: http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/472/2192/20160263 |
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| "Artist's illustration of a bright gamma-ray burst occurring in a star-forming region. Energy from the explosion is beamed into two narrow, oppositely directed jets." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-ray_burst |
<more at http://phys.org/news/2016-08-tree-rings-reveal-secret-clocks-reset.html; and http://www.vocativ.com/351178/tree-rings-radiation/ (How Ancient Solar Storms Etched “Secret Clocks” In Tree Rings. Trees that grew during intense radiation bursts have "secret clocks" in their tree rings that could help archaeologists date events from thousands of years ago. August 17, 2016) and http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-dating-gets-reset/ (Carbon Dating Gets a Reset. Climate records from a Japanese lake are providing a more accurate timeline for dating objects as far back as 50,000 years. October 18, 2011)>
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