Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: Esri/GEBCO/Garmin/NaturalVue
A spike in radioactive beryllium-10 was found deep in the Pacific Ocean, dating back 9–12 million years.
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Scientists found twice the expected amount of beryllium-10 in ancient seafloor crust, sparking global intrigue.
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Ferromanganese crusts, growing millimeters per million years, preserve cosmic and geological timelines.
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A near-Earth supernova could have bombarded the planet with cosmic rays, causing the beryllium surge.
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A shift in Earth's ocean currents 10 million years ago may have concentrated beryllium-10 in the Pacific.
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The Sun’s activity wasn’t strong enough to cause the anomaly, hinting at interstellar causes.
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The anomaly may serve as a new time marker for studying Earth’s geological and oceanic history.
Scientists debate whether the beryllium spike is a Pacific phenomenon or a planet-wide event.
More samples and studies will determine if the anomaly holds clues to cosmic or terrestrial changes.