Some geoscientists argue that humans have transformed the planet with plastic trash, radioactive debris and fossil-fuel emissions, among other things — and that the changes should be recognized with a new geological epoch.Credit: Mark Meredith/Getty A high-profile battle over whether to designate the ‘Anthropocene’ as a new geological epoch has come to an end. On … Read more
Researchers are investigating plutonium traces in the sediment of Crawford Lake in Canada as a marker for the start of the Anthropocene.Credit: Peter Power/AFP/Getty For 15 years, geologists have been involved in a complicated technical process to determine whether human impacts on Earth systems amount to a new geological epoch. Earlier this month, 12 members … Read more
After 15 years of discussion and exploration, a committee of researchers has decided that the Anthropocene — generally understood to be the age of irreversible human impacts on the planet — will not become an official epoch in Earth’s geological timeline. The ruling, first reported by The New York Times, is meant to be final, … Read more