High-Resolution 10Be and 36Cl Data from the Antarctic Dome Fuji Ice Core (~100 years around 5480 BCE): An Unusual Grand Solar Minimum Occurrence?

Cosmogenic nuclides in tree rings and polar ice cores record the information of past cosmic ray intensities and solar activities. A large 14C increase over 10 years has been discovered around 5480 BCE. The 14C variations in this event differ from those of other short-term cosmic ray events and typical grand solar minima. To elucidate the cause of the 14C increase around 5480 BCE, we measured the 10Be and 36Cl concentrations in the Antarctic Dome Fuji ice core at quasi-annual and 4-5 year resolutions, respectively. Based on the combined 14C, 10Be, and 36Cl data, the 5480 BCE event was probably not caused by a solar proton event (SPE) or a gamma-ray event, because the 36Cl concentration did not significantly increase as expected in these events. The incremented 10Be data were enhanced similarly to those of recent grand solar minima, but more rapidly increased (over ~10 years). These results suggest that an unusual grand solar minimum occurred around 5480 BCE, characterized by a rapidly decreasing solar activity.