
The Dark Year: What Made 536 So Devastating For Civilization
Historian Michael McCormick’s response to the question of which year was the worst in human history is unexpected. It’s not 1918, when tens of millions of people died from the flu epidemic, or 1349, when half of Europe was destroyed by the Black Death. Rather, he cites 536 AD, a year that saw an unparalleled worldwide calamity. “It was the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year,” says McCormick, who leads Harvard University’s Initiative for the Science of the Human Past. A strange and persistent fog covered much of Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, triggering widespread devastation.
535: A Year of Darkness and Despair
For nearly a year and a half, a dense fog hung over vast regions, blocking sunlight and plunging the world into darkness. Byzantine historian Procopius described it, writing, “For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during the whole year.” The result was catastrophic. Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere dropped by 1.5°C to 2.5°C, making the 530s one of the coldest decades in recorded history. China saw summer snowfall, crops failed across continents, and famine set in. Irish historical records document severe food shortages from 536 to 539.
Then, in 541 AD, just when it looked like things couldn’t get much worse, illness hit. The Plague of Justinian, often known as the bubonic plague, killed millions of people throughout the empire; in areas that were severely afflicted, estimates of death ranged from 25% to 50%. According to some historians, this played a part in the fall of the empire.

Unraveling the Mystery: The Role of Volcanoes
The mid-sixth century was acknowledged for decades by academics as a period of severe adversity, but the source of the enigmatic climate catastrophe was never identified. When a study team led by glaciologist Paul Mayewski and Michael McCormick examined ice cores from a Swiss glacier, they made a significant discovery. Their research pointed to a possible cause: a huge volcanic explosion in Iceland that occurred in early 536 AD and sent ash flying over the Northern Hemisphere. Two further eruptions in 540 and 547 followed, making the already terrible situation even worse. The disease and the periodic strikes caused Europe to enter an economic downturn that persisted for more than a century.
A glimpse of recovery was also provided by the ice core. As a result of silver mining, scientists observed an increase in airborne lead by 640 AD. This implied that industry and trade had at last started to recover.
Ice Cores and Climate Clues
When tree ring research showed that the years surrounding 540 AD were unusually cold, the hunt for solutions started in the 1990s. Another component was added to the puzzle by more recent analyses of polar ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland. An aerosol layer that reflects sunlight and cools the earth is created when a volcano erupts, releasing sulfur, bismuth, and other particles into the upper sky.
Nearly every major cold spell in the last 2,500 years has been accompanied by a volcanic eruption, according to research conducted in 2015 by a team led by Michael Sigl from the University of Bern. According to their research, the extended global cooling was caused by a massive eruption in late 535 or early 536, followed by another in 540.
Building on these discoveries, Mayewski’s group investigated an ice core extracted from the Swiss Alps’ Colle Gnifetti Glacier. Over 2,000 years of environmental history, including dust storms, industrial pollutants, and volcanic activity, were preserved in one 72-meter-long ice core. Researchers created an extraordinarily comprehensive timeline by analyzing small layers of ice, each of which represented only a few days or weeks of snowfall, using a sophisticated laser technology.
A Glimpse of Recovery—and Another Collapse
Tiny volcanic glass particles were found by researcher Laura Hartman in the ice levels from 536 AD. She and volcanologist Andrei Kurbatov linked them to Icelandic volcanic rocks by examining their chemical makeup. This clearly implies that the global cold event was caused by a volcano in Iceland. Michael Sigl and other experts, however, think more proof is required to rule out alternative causes, like a North American eruption.
Whatever its precise cause, the eruption had disastrous effects. Volcanic ash was carried by winds across Asia and Europe, darkening the sky and changing the climate. To learn more about why this specific eruption was so devastating, scientists are currently working to find more volcanic deposits in lakes in Iceland and Europe.
A century later, the ice core reveals signs of economic recovery
An increase in airborne lead contamination around 640 AD indicates that silver mining had resumed, signaling a shift in commerce and industry. Another increase in lead by 660 AD points to the emergence of a merchant class and a move toward silver as the primary currency.
However, history was repeated. Lead contamination in ice cores vanished during the 1349–1353 Black Death, reflecting yet another economic downturn. This combination of high-resolution environmental and historical records is a “game changer” for comprehending how natural calamities have influenced human civilization, according to archaeologist Christopher Loveluck of the University of Nottingham.
News in the same category


Scientists Invent Ultra-Thin Material That Hardens Like Diamond to Stop Bullets

There Are Mysterious Signals Coming From The Ice In Antarctica

Scientists Baffled By Earth’s Mysterious 26-Second ‘Heartbeat’—Still No Clear Explanation

Friendship Between Wolf And Bear Documented By A Photographer

A Decapitated Python In Florida Everglades Suggests Bobcats Are Resisting Their Invasion

Firefighters Warn Public Of Dangers Of Leaving Water Bottles In Cars

A Boy Went Missing For 2 Years, Then Parents Look Behind The Dresser And Can’t Believe Their Eyes

Test Your Vision: Can You Spot the Hidden Woman?

Birds Can Actually See Earth’s Magnetic Field—Thanks to Quantum Physics

If You Want Smarter Kids Teach Them Music, Not Coding, According to MIT

The ‘Ocean Spiral’: Japan’s Groundbreaking New Underwater City Will Run on Deep-Sea Thermal Energy

Scientists Aim to Teleport an Entire Human, This New Quantum Tech Can Make It Possible

Some Hotels in Iceland Have a Special Button That Will Wake You up if the Northern Lights Appear in the Sky

Humanity May Achieve the Singularity Within the Next 6 Months, Scientists Claim

A Missing Little Girl Who Was Featured On “Unsolved Mysteries” Has Finally Been Found

The Trans-Canadian Rail Route: An Iconic Journey Across Canada

Vocal Speech Observed in Wild Chimpanzees. Are Apes Evolving Into Humans?

Photograper Captures A Once-In-A-Lifetime Shot Of A ‘Horizontal Rainbow’ That Filled The Whole Sky
News Post

Get Long Hair, Stop Hair Fall, Cure Baldness, Regrow Damaged Hair Naturally

Death Begins in the Gut! Clean Your Blood and Intestines with Just One Glass a Day

Just 2.4 Miles Apart, Yet 21 Hours Ahead — The Diomede Islands’ Time-Warping Secret

Woman mistook deadly illness for perimenopause

Orange Peel and Cinnamon Tea: The Natural Remedy Worth More Than Gold!

Moringa Leaf: A Nutrient-Packed Leaf for Your Wellness Journey

Why Were Strokes Less Common 30 Years Ago, but Are Now Increasing? 4 Foods You Should Cut Back On

4 Reasons Why You Should Stop Picking Your Nose Before It Leads to Serious Consequences

Three Common Beverages That Secretly Drain Calcium from Your Bones: Drinking Too Much Can Lead to Brittle, Fragile Bones

Scientists Invent Ultra-Thin Material That Hardens Like Diamond to Stop Bullets

There Are Mysterious Signals Coming From The Ice In Antarctica

Scientists Baffled By Earth’s Mysterious 26-Second ‘Heartbeat’—Still No Clear Explanation

Friendship Between Wolf And Bear Documented By A Photographer

A Decapitated Python In Florida Everglades Suggests Bobcats Are Resisting Their Invasion

Firefighters Warn Public Of Dangers Of Leaving Water Bottles In Cars

Woman’s Inoperable Brain Tumor Shrinks In Just Five Days Thanks To Cancer Breakthrough

I Rushed to My Daughter's Graduation - But I Ended Up Being Shut Out

Doctors Ignored Her 9 Times — Then She Got A Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis

My MIL Told Me to Just Bring Chips to the 4th of July BBQ Because I 'Can't Cook Anyway' – So I Brought Something Better
