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Unexplained radioactive anomaly detected at the bottom of the Pacific

By T.K. Randall
February 15, 2025 · Comment icon 10 comments

The cause of the anomaly remains something of a mystery. Image Credit: Pixabay / Schaferle
Scientists have discovered a peculiar radioactive 'blip' in the depths of the sea and it is unclear what caused it.
No, it's not Godzilla - but an anomalous radioactive anomaly recently picked up somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific is very much a genuine unexplained mystery.

The 'blip' - which consists of a surge of the radioactive isotope Beryllium-10 - was first identified by researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf research institute in Germany.

Exactly what might be responsible for the anomaly is currently unclear, but what we do know is that it was likely generated by something that happened around 9 million years ago.

Beryllium-10 typically arrives on Earth from space, so perhaps at around that time there was a sudden surge in such deposits due to a nearby supernova explosion, for instance.

Another possibility is that there could have been a major shift in ocean currents at around that time.
"This could have caused beryllium-10 to be unevenly distributed across the Earth for a period of time," said study leader and physicist Dr Dominik Koll.

"As a result, beryllium-10 could have become particularly concentrated in the Pacific Ocean."

As things stand, however, the precise explanation for this perplexing anomaly remains elusive.

"Only new measurements can indicate whether the beryllium anomaly was caused by changes in ocean currents or has astrophysical reasons," Dr Koll wrote.

"That is why we plan to analyze more samples in the future and hope that other research groups will do the same."

Source: Science Alert | Comments (10)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Piney 1 month ago
Beryllium 10..... Deposited via long term currents...... Mystery solved.......  
Comment icon #2 Posted by Megaro 1 month ago
Personally, I was going to say Godzilla -- but Piney has the more reasoned response.
Comment icon #3 Posted by Saru 1 month ago
Not mystery solved, but it is one possibility.
Comment icon #4 Posted by acute 1 month ago
It's a nuclear-powered Alien base. Obvious, really. (It's not underwater rocket science!)
Comment icon #5 Posted by Tom1200 1 month ago
It's gotta go somewhere.
Comment icon #6 Posted by Piney 1 month ago
That's what Northern New Jersey is for. ?
Comment icon #7 Posted by GAZUK 1 month ago
Probably one of the nukes that the US forces lost....
Comment icon #8 Posted by and-then 1 month ago
Or maybe a Russian sub.  
Comment icon #9 Posted by Doc Socks Junior 1 month ago
I think that it should be stated exactly what this anomaly is. An larger than expected amount of beryllium - 10 in a few mm section of iron manganese crust on a chunk of rock from the seafloor. Based on the growth rate of that crust, it seems that anomalous signature dates back about 9-11 million years. Interesting parts to me: These Fe-Mn nodules are what deep-sea mining would be interested in. I know cosmogenic dating is a "thing", but I was not specifically aware it was useful in the deep ocean. But in this case, the radioisotope is being produced in the atmosphere, and being transported in... [More]
Comment icon #10 Posted by NCC1701 29 days ago
Ah, finally someone found my missing vial of beryllium10.


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