Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter?
Abstract Abrupt planetary change forced by the cumulative and overwhelming impacts of human activities in the mid‐twentieth century supports a new geologic epoch, named after Anthropos, the agent of this change. This transformation extends well beyond Holocene norms and is identified in geologic rec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | AGU Advances |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001430 |
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| _version_ | 1850279311598157824 |
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| author | Francine M. G. McCarthy Martin J. Head Colin N. Waters Jan Zalasiewicz |
| author_facet | Francine M. G. McCarthy Martin J. Head Colin N. Waters Jan Zalasiewicz |
| author_sort | Francine M. G. McCarthy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Abrupt planetary change forced by the cumulative and overwhelming impacts of human activities in the mid‐twentieth century supports a new geologic epoch, named after Anthropos, the agent of this change. This transformation extends well beyond Holocene norms and is identified in geologic records worldwide. A proposal to define the Anthropocene series/epoch in varved sediments from Crawford Lake, Ontario was rejected by the International Union of Geological Sciences, but the novel Earth System state will persist for tens of millennia, dampening Milankovitch forcing that paces glacial–interglacial cycles through the Quaternary Period. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ff2ffd7fd5e24e378434f8325d1432b3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2576-604X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AGU Advances |
| spelling | doaj-art-ff2ffd7fd5e24e378434f8325d1432b32025-08-20T01:49:07ZengWileyAGU Advances2576-604X2025-04-0162n/an/a10.1029/2024AV001430Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter?Francine M. G. McCarthy0Martin J. Head1Colin N. Waters2Jan Zalasiewicz3Department of Earth Sciences Brock University St. Catharines ON CanadaDepartment of Earth Sciences Brock University St. Catharines ON CanadaSchool of Geography Geology and the Environment University of Leicester Leicester UKSchool of Geography Geology and the Environment University of Leicester Leicester UKAbstract Abrupt planetary change forced by the cumulative and overwhelming impacts of human activities in the mid‐twentieth century supports a new geologic epoch, named after Anthropos, the agent of this change. This transformation extends well beyond Holocene norms and is identified in geologic records worldwide. A proposal to define the Anthropocene series/epoch in varved sediments from Crawford Lake, Ontario was rejected by the International Union of Geological Sciences, but the novel Earth System state will persist for tens of millennia, dampening Milankovitch forcing that paces glacial–interglacial cycles through the Quaternary Period.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001430series/epochgreat accelerationGSSP proposalrejectionsocietal relevanceAnthropocene |
| spellingShingle | Francine M. G. McCarthy Martin J. Head Colin N. Waters Jan Zalasiewicz Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter? AGU Advances series/epoch great acceleration GSSP proposal rejection societal relevance Anthropocene |
| title | Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter? |
| title_full | Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter? |
| title_fullStr | Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter? |
| title_short | Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter? |
| title_sort | would adding the anthropocene to the geologic time scale matter |
| topic | series/epoch great acceleration GSSP proposal rejection societal relevance Anthropocene |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001430 |
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