Researchers are proposing Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada, as a key location that exemplifies humanity's profound impact on Earth, leading to the establishment of a new geological time period known as the Anthropocene Epoch. This epoch would recognize the drastic changes humans have made to the planet since the mid-20th century. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) has been diligently investigating the geological evidence to support this transition and has identified the 1950s as the formal start date for this new epoch.
Crawford Lake holds essential sediment layers that provide a remarkable record of human-induced environmental changes. The lake's muds have captured fallout from intense fossil fuel burning and the presence of plutonium from post-war nuclear bomb tests. These annual laminated sediments act as a barcode, enabling scientists to read the broader environmental changes that occurred around the lake. Notably, the growth of algae in warm summer months produces chalk crystals, while the organic matter settles as a brown/black layer during cold winter months. Moreover, spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) from coal combustion are detected due to the proximity of the industrial city of Hamilton, Canada.
The crucial marker for the Anthropocene Epoch is plutonium, which became globally widespread after high-yield thermonuclear bomb tests began in 1952. Scientists from the University of Southampton are examining Crawford Lake's core samples to determine when plutonium first appears and its subsequent increase in the muddy layers. Plutonium has a half-life of 24,000 years, making it detectable for at least 100,000 years, making it an enduring indicator of the Anthropocene Epoch.
The AWG aims to choose a specific year to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch, and the results from the Southampton tests will be influential in this decision. If accepted, geologists of the future could study today's sediments to understand the significant changes earlier generations imposed on Earth. Stratigraphy, the study of layered deposits through time, enables scientists to identify epochal transitions, and the AWG is actively working on establishing a new epoch to be added to the Chronostratigraphic Chart, which depicts Earth's 4.6-billion-year history.
The proposed change to the Chronostratigraphic Chart subdivides epochs into ages or stages. The first Age of the Anthropocene may be called the "Crawfordian," named after Crawford Lake, due to its exemplary representation of humanity's impact on the planet. Other geological transitions have been marked with Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), where a brass nail is hammered into a significant cliff face. In Crawford's case, a brass plaque next to a frozen section of the sediments, preserved in a museum in Ottawa, will be the symbolic "golden spike" representing the Anthropocene Epoch. Ultimately, the AWG will present its recommendations to the wider geological community later in the year, leaving the decision to update the famous chart of Earth history with the International Commission on Stratigraphy. This milestone will officially acknowledge humanity's lasting impact on the planet and serve as a reminder for future generations to understand the necessity of preserving and safeguarding Earth's precious resources.
A CSR Initiative of
Designed and Executed by
Implemented by
Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
