Stone Age presupposes what might happen if a series of massive, cascading CMEs or coronal mass ejections were to hit the Earth. How realistic is the story? Does science actually back up the plausibility of a large CME, and if so, is it possible that one large enough could destroy our technology and with it, our society?
Here is the really scary part, this very thing already happened in 1859. Yes, that 1859. The story of Russell Thompson was fictional, but the bombardment by two CMEs of our Earth was completely true. Miners in Colorado really started preparing their breakfast around 2 in the morning, believing the sun was rising. People in Cuba thought their sky was on fire due to the magenta hues of auroras not seen that far south. Compasses worldwide ceased functioning. U.S. and European telegraph lines were down for weeks and some people were even electrocuted and fires spawned from the electrical discharges caused by the CMEs.
Fluctuations in the sun’s magnetic field trigger a portion of the sun’s surface to expand rapidly, causing the ejection of particles into space. Most of these particles do not reach Earth, the few that do harmlessly interact and bounce off the Earth’s magnetic field. Northern and Southern Lights offer testimony to the constant offensive of these particles. Very large CMEs, on the other hand, release billions of tons of particles, and when they hit, they disrupt and penetrate Earth’s protective magnetic shield, called the magnetosphere. Because magnetic waves can induce electricity, it follows that massive CMEs, like those occurring in 1859, would induce large amounts of electrical current in any conductor on Earth.
What would happen then if solar super storms like those 150 years ago were to occur today? Our nation’s power grids, already operating at or near capacity, are very vulnerable and would be easily overloaded by a large CME. A 2007 Solar Storm Threat Analysis report estimated that due to the lack of shielding protection, 250 million power line transformers and 6000 major transformers would be destroyed by a major CME, similar to the one already seen in 1859. All our power grids are networked, and would go down for a long time. Conceivably, it would take decades to rebuild. Consider what it would be like if just the city of New York lost all power for 10 years. The chaos and ensuing death would be unimaginable. Well, I’m sure you can better imagine it now.
The news gets worse. Now imagine all solid-state electronic circuitry in computers, phones, appliances, cars, etc. Those not protected, which is almost everything, would be destroyed by the massive electrical currents created by a large enough CME. The Internet would be gone, along with all our massive worldwide knowledgebase stored on electromagnetically sensitive hard drives. All of this together would cause the machinery of our economy and society to stop completely: all manufacturing, supply lines, transportation, communication, everything. Delivery of our most elemental necessities, such as food, water, and medicine would be permanently disrupted.
Hardest hit would urban areas. All supplies, not stored up, but delivered as needed, would disappear quickly, leaving the population to fight for the remaining scraps. Leaving would be impossible. Where would you go on foot? Money would be worthless. The worst in human nature would rise to the top, as there would be little law enforcement, without transportation to bring accountability to these areas.
Hundreds of millions would unquestionably die through disease, murder, and starvation. All societies fueled by technology would most definitely collapse. It is a bleak story, and would most certainly happen if an 1859 event were to occur today.
What are our chances of something like this occurring? Fairly good, I’m afraid. Some scientists are currently predicting a 60% chance of this type of event occurring in the next 10 years. Yes, 60% chance. Yet, as society, we do nothing to protect ourselves from such an event.
Sounds dire, doesn’t it? It could be even worse. Consider, in 775AD, some scientists have argued that a mega-flare ten times greater in strength than the Carrington Flare hit Earth. The proof is in the tree rings, with a spike in Carbon-14 readings, which bear no other explanation.
I am admittedly someone obsessed with eschatological (i.e. end-of-the-world) theories/stories. However, when I read about the 1859 Carrington event, I was amazed at how underreported this was. The Stone Age story is my way of bringing some light to an event far more likely (60%) than a global warming disaster (unknown %), or asteroid collision (smaller %), or even an alien invasion (0%). Yet, how much do we spend on the prevention of these? It is estimated that it would cost $200 million or more per year to start fixing the power-grid. This is a small price to pay, when you consider the cost of replacing it after The Event would cost $ trillions and the lives of hundreds of millions, and surely the very lifestyle we take for granted every day, which could end permanently. What is it worth to you to protect this?
Our technology is a house of cards, which if destroyed, would really take with it our complex and diverse society. Consider this the next time you turn on a light switch, adjust your air conditioner, drink your hot coffee, take a shower, drive your car, shop for freshly delivered food, answer your cell phone, search the Internet, withdraw money from an ATM, post on Facebook, and so on. All of this could be gone in an instant. The result would be catastrophic. Perhaps, we would see another Stone Age.
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Copyright
STONE AGE is an original work of fiction.
The characters and dialogs are the products of this author’s vivid imagination.
Most of the science and the historical incidents described in this novel are based on reality, and so are its warnings.
Copyright © 2014 by M.L. Banner,
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Cover Art: Keri Knutson
Editor: Frankie Sutton
Toes in the Water Publishing, LLC
