Worst year to be alive: When skies darkened in the Dark Ages as volcanoes kept erupting

Scientists say that the worst year on Earth happened during the Dark Ages, when the Sun behaved like the Moon as something shrouded the planet. This was the year 536 AD. Experts say that this year witnessed one volcanic eruption, followed by three more in later years, either at the equator or Iceland. Dr Miles Pattenden told ABC RN’s Counterpoint that the ash reached high in the atmosphere and blocked out the sun. Written accounts from Byzantine historian Procopius and Roman statesman Cassiodorus back this claim. “The sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during the whole year,” the former wrote, describing the time around 536.

A layer completely covered the Earth and blocked out sunlight. This led the summer temperatures to fall roughly 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius below normal. This phenomenon did not change for several years. Tree rings offer additional evidence of volcanic eruptions in 536, 540 and 547. The tree rings become narrow in colder years and wider when it is warm and wet. They found signs that the tree rings grew a lot less during this time, indicating a major climate change or volcanic eruption.

Also Read: Scientists warn major sea the size of Japan is vanishing. It might be too late to save it

Ice cores in three different places carried volcanic debris

Another proof lay in the ice cores. Scientists found sulfate and volcanic traces in Greenland, Antarctica and the Swiss Alps. A team of researchers led by Paul Mayewski, a glaciologist at the University of Maine, studied a Swiss glacier core from the spring of 536. They found microscopic shards of volcanic glass, and their chemistry appeared similar to material associated with Icelandic volcanic rocks. This showed that Earth’s atmosphere was filled with volcanic debris at this time.

Also Read: NASA satellite photo shows Super El Niño has triggered a very specific change in the Pacific

Then blew the Ilopango volcano, which is located today in El Salvador, around 539 or 540. The Tierra Blanca Joven ash layer spread across Central America, adding to the veil and cooling already afflicting Earth. Much of Eurasia felt the effects, with records showing “a failure of bread” followed by the plague. The Mediterranean witnessed a huge bubonic crisis in 541. The Plague of Justinian started near the Roman port of Pelusium in Egypt and spread through the Byzantine world.

It was not a mass extinction event, but it did trigger a major crisis where populations declined, and the economy crumbled. Things did not get better for decades, as a spike in airborne lead was seen in the Swiss Alps ice core samples from 640.