Janice R. Andrews
Scientists have uncovered a mysterious signal from the ocean floor, dating back over 10 million years. The discovery, made by researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TUD Dresden University of Technology, and the Australian National University (ANU), could revolutionize how we understand Earth’s geological history.
The team detected an unusual spike in a radioactive isotope, beryllium-10, within ferromanganese crusts collected from the Pacific Ocean. Alongside ancient bones and wood remnants, this finding provides a rare time marker to synchronize past geological events.
Dr. Dominik Koll of HZDR explained that while radiocarbon dating is limited to 50,000 years, isotopes like beryllium-10 allow scientists to date much older samples. This breakthrough offers new insights into Earth’s ancient past and opens doors to further exploration of our planet’s deep-sea secrets.
Stay tuned as researchers delve deeper into this fascinating discovery!
