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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Palaeontological evidence for defining the Anthropocene
ClearThe Anthropocene within the Geological Time Scale: a response to fundamental questions
This paper responded to fundamental questions about the Anthropocene as a formal geological time unit, addressing evidence for its recognition within the Geological Time Scale and clarifying the stratigraphic criteria used to define it.
Progress in assessment of the Anthropocene Series in the Geological Time Scale (GTS)
This paper reviews the progress in formally recognizing the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch, with human-made markers including microplastics now preserved in sediments worldwide. The widespread presence of microplastics in geological layers is one of the key signals of humanity's permanent impact on the planet.
Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series
This paper reviews 12 proposed sites around the world that could serve as the official geological marker for the start of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch defined by human impact on the planet. Among the key markers of human influence found at these sites are microplastics, which appear in sediment layers starting around the mid-20th century. The widespread presence of microplastics in geological records underscores just how profoundly plastic pollution has altered the planet.
Part 1: Anthropocene Series/Epoch: stratigraphic context and justification of rank The Anthropocene Epoch and Crawfordian Age: proposals by the Anthropocene Working Group
This paper by the Anthropocene Working Group proposes formally defining the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch, marked by human-caused changes starting around the 1950s. Among the stratigraphic signals used to define this era, microplastics are listed as a key marker, alongside nuclear fallout and synthetic chemicals. The inclusion of microplastics as a defining feature of a geological epoch underscores just how widespread and permanent plastic pollution has become in Earth's systems.
Geochemical Fingerprint and Stratigraphic Marker
This chapter explains how the global spread of plastic pollution — from ocean floors to mountain glaciers — makes plastic particles useful as geological markers of the Anthropocene era. The accumulation of microplastics in sediment layers provides a distinctive chemical and physical signature that will be readable in the geological record for millennia.
Potential role of microplastic in sediment as an indicator of Anthropocene
Researchers reviewed global data on microplastic deposits in lake and ocean sediment cores, arguing that microplastics have the potential to serve as a geological marker for the Anthropocene — the human-dominated era — because they are widespread, persistent, and tightly linked to human industrial activity. Alpine lake sediments are recommended as ideal sites for this research due to their stable, high-resolution depositional records.
Antropocen : vad, när och hur?
This Swedish-language thesis examines the concept of the Anthropocene — the proposed geological epoch defined by human impacts on Earth — reviewing its scientific definition and potential stratigraphic markers. It provides context for understanding how plastic pollution is one of the defining markers of human influence on the planet.
Executive Summary: The Anthropocene Epoch and Crawfordian Age: proposals by the Anthropocene Working Group
This executive summary presents the Anthropocene Working Group's proposal to formalize the Anthropocene as a geological epoch, marked by widespread human impact on Earth's systems. The report documents how synthetic materials including plastics now appear as distinctive markers in geological deposits worldwide, serving as evidence of humanity's transformative influence on the planet.
The potential of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) layers as Anthropocene strata
Researchers propose that municipal solid waste layers in landfills could serve as defining geological strata for the Anthropocene era, given their global distribution, clear temporal markers since the 1950s, and distinctive composition. These waste deposits preserve a record of human activity through novel materials like plastics, aluminum, and radioactive isotopes that have no precedent in geological history. The study argues that landfill strata offer a uniquely clear and anthropogenic signal compared to other proposed Anthropocene markers.
Por uma arqueologia do antropoceno: tempo, identidade e novos artefactos numa nova era
This Portuguese-language archaeology paper discusses the emergence of 'Anthropocene Archaeology' — the study of human artifacts and materials from the current geological era of human dominance. Plastics, including microplastics, are among the defining material markers of the Anthropocene that will be part of this archaeological record.
Are microplastics the ‘technofossils’ of the Anthropocene?
Researchers reviewed dating methods and microplastic data from sedimentary cores globally, establishing a chronological sequence of microplastic polymer types in sediment records and validating it against 39 published dated cores, demonstrating that microplastic composition can serve as a supplementary dating tool for Anthropocene sediments on a centennial scale.
What rejecting the Anthropocene means for the microplastic research community?
This commentary examines the implications of the formal rejection of the Anthropocene as a stratigraphic unit by the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy in 2024, arguing that the microplastic research community must grapple with how this decision affects the use of microplastics as stratigraphic markers of human-era pollution.
The use of microplastics as a reliable chronological marker of the Anthropocene onset in Southeastern South America
Researchers analyzed microplastics in sediment cores from the world's largest coastal lagoonal system in southeastern South America, identifying a clear transition from microplastic-free sediments to contaminated layers that aligns with the onset of the Anthropocene.
Beppu Bay, Japan, as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series
Researchers evaluated Beppu Bay sediments as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section for the Anthropocene, finding unprecedented increases in 99 anthropogenic proxies above a 1953 flood layer, including microplastics, radionuclides, and industrial pollutants.
Hermann Löns’ “Quintär” – an early approach to the geological stratigraphy of the Age of Humans and its significance in geosciences
This paper examines a 1908 concept by Hermann Löns that anticipated modern ideas about the Anthropocene by proposing a geological stratum defined by human activity. The historical analysis shows that the scientific idea of humans as a geological force has deep roots, with plastic pollution now serving as one of the defining markers of this proposed new geological epoch.
Is Earth in a New Time Period: The Plasticene?
This accessible science communication piece argues that plastic has become so pervasive—appearing in rocks, sediments, and ecosystems globally—that Earth may have entered a new geological epoch called the 'Plasticene.' Understanding how plastic becomes embedded in the geological record helps scientists and the public grasp the irreversible long-term scale of microplastic contamination.
Classification Framework for Assessing Anthropogenic Sedimentary Facies
Researchers proposed a new classification system for sediments that accounts for human-made materials, including plastics, alongside natural components. As the mass of manufactured materials now exceeds Earth's total dry biomass, traditional sediment classification frameworks are no longer sufficient. The system provides standardized descriptors for anthropogenic deposits across different environments, offering a practical tool for studying how plastic and other human-made debris integrate into geological records.
The Anthropocene: Comparing Its Meaning in Geology (Chronostratigraphy) with Conceptual Approaches Arising in Other Disciplines
This article compares how the term "Anthropocene" is used in geology versus other academic disciplines like social sciences and humanities. In geology, the Anthropocene is proposed as a formal epoch beginning in the mid-twentieth century, marked by measurable changes in the geological record from industrialization and globalization. Other fields use the term more flexibly, often extending it much further back in time and applying it without reference to specific geological markers.
CORE 100 The Anthropocene
This university course introduces the concept of the Anthropocene, examining how human activity has fundamentally altered Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces. Microplastic pollution is one of the defining markers of the Anthropocene, present in sediments and ecosystems worldwide.
Downward migrating microplastics in lake sediments is a tricky indicator for the onset of the Anthropocene
This paper questions whether microplastics in lake sediment cores are a reliable marker for the start of the Anthropocene epoch. Researchers found that microplastics can migrate downward through sediment layers over time, which could give misleadingly old dates and complicate their use as a precise geological time marker.
Anthropocene Ouroboros
This ethnographic study explores how plastic objects on an Indian Ocean island shatter and disperse into microplastics, complicating our understanding of geological time. Researchers argue that because microplastics can migrate through sedimentary layers and infiltrate earlier geological strata, they disrupt the very framework used to delineate the Anthropocene. The paper examines the cultural and temporal implications of plastic pollution as a defining material of the modern era.
Part 2: Descriptions of the proposed Crawford Lake GSSP and supporting SABSs. The Anthropocene Epoch and Crawfordian Age: proposals by the Anthropocene Working Group
This paper provides detailed descriptions of the proposed Crawford Lake Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) and supporting auxiliary boundary stratotype sections, presenting sedimentary evidence for the formal designation of the Anthropocene epoch. Key markers including plutonium fallout, fly ash, and synthetic plastic particles are documented in the lake sediments.
Anthropocene angst: Authentic geology and stratigraphic sincerity
Based on four years of ethnographic observation of the Anthropocene Working Group, this article explains why the proposal to formalize the Anthropocene as a geologic epoch was rejected in 2024, arguing the effort blurred the boundary between scientific fact and political normative claims.
Anthropocene: The Challenges for a New World
This review examines the concept of the Anthropocene, tracing how humanity has become a geological force rivalling natural processes, with particular attention to the environmental challenges this new epoch presents for Earth system science.