{"id":58909,"date":"2025-03-20T08:06:35","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/maintenance.html\/?p=58909"},"modified":"2025-03-20T08:06:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:06:35","slug":"ancient-tree-remains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=58909","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Tree Remains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ancient<\/p>\n

\n
Data as shared:<\/div>\n
A **42,000-year-old ancient kauri tree** was discovered in New Zealand, and it provided crucial evidence of a **temporary reversal of Earth’s magnetic field**, known as the **Laschamps Excursion**. This event occurred around **41,000 to 42,000 years ago** when the Earth’s magnetic field weakened significantly, allowing more cosmic radiation to reach the planet.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Scientists analyzed the tree’s rings, which preserved a detailed record of environmental changes during that time. Their research suggested that this magnetic reversal may have had significant effects on the climate, atmospheric chemistry, and even contributed to extinctions. The study, published in 2021, proposed that these changes could have influenced early human behavior and even played a role in the disappearance of Neanderthals.<\/p>\n

For those curious enough to wonder how tree rings provide so much information:
\nhttps:\/\/ecomatcher.medium.com\/how-tree-rings-function-as-time-capsules-02d6cbd1f0e0<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Perplexity.ai confirmed it:<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

The information you’re referring to comes from a study published in the journal Science on February 19, 20211<\/span><\/span><\/a>5<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span> The research was led by scientists from the University of New South Wales and other institutions, who analyzed ancient New Zealand kauri trees (Agathis australis) to develop a detailed record of atmospheric radiocarbon levels across the Laschamps Excursion, a geomagnetic reversal that occurred approximately 41,000 to 42,000 years ago1<\/span><\/span><\/a>2<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study found that the geomagnetic field minimum around 42,000 years ago, combined with Grand Solar Minima, caused substantial changes in atmospheric ozone concentration and circulation. These changes led to synchronous global climate shifts that resulted in major environmental changes, extinction events, and transformations in the archaeological record1<\/span><\/span><\/a>5<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers named this event the “Adams Transitional Geomagnetic Event” or “Adams Event,” during which Earth’s magnetic field dropped to only 0-6 percent of its normal strength3<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span> This weakening of the magnetic field allowed more cosmic radiation to penetrate the atmosphere, potentially contributing to climate changes and environmental shifts that could have influenced early human behavior and possibly played a role in the disappearance of Neanderthals2<\/span><\/span><\/a>4<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Citations:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abb8677<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. https:\/\/cosmosmagazine.com\/earth\/earth-sciences\/magnetic-reversal-caused-massive-climate-shifts\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davidbressan\/2021\/02\/19\/study-suggests-earths-protective-magnetic-shield-failed-42000-years-ago\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. https:\/\/www.theenergymix.com\/ancient-tree-shows-result-of-magnetic-pole-switch\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. https:\/\/researchportalplus.anu.edu.au\/en\/publications\/a-global-environmental-crisis-42000-years-ago<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/ancient-kauri-trees-capture-last-collapse-earth-s-magnetic-field<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. https:\/\/www.unsw.edu.au\/newsroom\/news\/2021\/02\/earth-s-magnetic-field-broke-down-42-000-years-ago-and-caused-ma<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. https:\/\/ngawhageneration.co.nz\/assets\/Cooper_Turney_Adams_Event_Science_2021.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. https:\/\/earthsky.org\/earth\/magnetic-field-reversal-42000-years-ago-neanderthal-extinction\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. https:\/\/www.unsw.edu.au\/newsroom\/news\/2021\/02\/ancient-relic-points-to-a-turning-point-in-earth-s-history-42-00<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/earth-magnetic-field-reversal-mass-extinctions-environment-crisis<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. https:\/\/www.gfz.de\/en\/press\/news\/details\/42000-year-old-sub-fossil-trees-more-accurate-analysis-of-reversal-of-earths-magnetic-field<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. https:\/\/niwa.co.nz\/news\/ancient-kauri-trees-reveal-turning-point-earths-history-42000-years-ago<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. https:\/\/camd.org.au\/sam-niwa-univs-date-last-pole-switch\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai\/share<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Data as shared: A **42,000-year-old ancient kauri tree** was discovered in New Zealand, and it provided crucial evidence of a **temporary reversal of Earth’s magnetic field**, known as the **Laschamps Excursion**. This event occurred around **41,000 to 42,000 years ago** when the Earth’s magnetic field weakened significantly, allowing more cosmic radiation to reach the planet. … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “Ancient Tree Remains”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58911,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58909\/revisions\/58911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}