“Anthropocene epoch” is the term for a proposed geological era to represent the influence modern humanity has on our planet. Find out why a picturesque lake near Milton, Ontario is the chosen site to represent this new epoch.
Most people have heard of Niagara Falls. In fact, it might be Canada’s most famous geographical feature and attraction.
Even so, people in other countries may not have heard of a much larger geological feature. It’s called the Niagara Escarpment and it stretches for 725 kilometres across a swath of Southern Ontario.
The escarpment is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and I’m privileged to live in the midst of it. Further south along the escarpment is the town of Milton, Ontario, my hometown’s rivals in both ice hockey and lacrosse.
Crawford Lake to Represent New Geological Epoch
Milton is in the news for a completely different reason this week. Scientists announced that they’ve chosen a picturesque nearby body of water called Crawford Lake to represent a proposed new geological epoch.
Humans have had so much influence on our planet that many scientists are calling for another geological epoch, to be called the “anthropocene.” Readers may have heard of the current holocene or the previous pleistocene epochs, which are part of the cenozoic era.
Scientists proposing the anthropocene epoch suggest that human activities started leaving a devastating mark on Earth’s ecosphere around 1950. Now, a team of researchers called the Anthropocene Working Group has agreed that the best evidence of this change lies within Crawford Lake.
Lake Provides Best Evidence of Ecosphere Change
Professors Francine McCarthy and Martin Head of Trent University and Tim Patterson of Carleton University led a team of researchers that gathered the data on which the working group based their decision.
Some of the sampling work included gathering traces of plutonium-239, micro plastics, fertilizers and particles from the burning of coal.“My main reaction to the news is relief,” Professor McCarthy said about the announcement. “I’m happy not just for me, for my colleagues and their students from a number of institutions who have been working really hard, but frankly, I’m happy for the planet.”
Professor Head agreed, adding, “It’s really important that we acknowledge a momentous planetary shift in the mid-20th century as a geological term. Otherwise, people will think that this is really just business as usual.”
“Golden-Spike” Location Marks Division Between Epochs
When defining a new epoch, scientists designate a location they call a “Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point” (GSSP) or “golden-spike.” Like the spikes that mark the place where two railways meet, these GSSP locations mark the division between one epoch and the next.
The working group chose Crawford Lake because of its fine-grained sedimentary layers. These layers of sediment preserve an environmental history that goes back over a thousand years.
Most importantly, Crawford Lake reveals the burst of ecological upheaval that began in the middle of the 20th century. That’s when detrimental human activities like burning fossil fuels, testing nuclear weapons and deforestation began to change our planet’s basic character.
Final Phase of Project to Recognize Anthropocene Epoch
Naming Crawford Lake as the successful candidate for the anthropocene’s golden-spike is the final phase of a much larger project to recognize the new anthropocene epoch. The working group has been gathering chemical and climatological data related to the new epoch for the past 14 years.
In all, there were 12 candidate sites in locations all over the world. They included sites in the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, China, Australia’s Coral Sea, Europe and even Antarctica.
The sites represented five continents and eight unique environments. One thing all the candidate sites had in common is a sudden spike in radioactive plutonium marking the start of nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War.
Industrial Pollution, Species Extinction and Climate Change
What set Crawford Lake apart is its clear representation of industrial pollution, species extinctions and global climate change. When we burn fossil fuels, especially coal, we release particles called fly-ash into the atmosphere.
The sediment layers under Crawford Lake contain well-preserved fly-ash samples. They also contain tree pollen samples that scientists can use to track how the nearby forest changed with global warming.
Now that the working group has settled on Crawford Lake, the next step is to submit the final proposal to the Sub-commission on Quartenary Stratigraphy. With their consent, the International Commission of Stratigraphy will hold a final vote next year on whether to approve the new epoch.
Final Vote to Approve New Epoch Next Year
Dr. Jurgen Renn is a German physicist and science historian. He’s been exploring the concept of a new anthropocene epoch from a historical and philosophical point of view.
“It’s not just about climate change. It’s not just biodiversity loss. It’s not just the sediments that humans are moving. It’s all of this together,” Professor Renn told the Washington Post’s Sarah Kaplan.
Designating the anthropocene epoch to recognize the extensive damage humanity is doing to our planet will advance science in several ways. It provides an improved research framework, fosters collaboration across disciplines, improves data collection and channels scientific communication.
And Another Thing…
The anthropocene concept also ties into a growing movement toward a different vision of Earth’s future. People are talking about a potential future era they’ve started calling the “ecozoic.”
This new ecozoic story imagines a transition away from the anthropocene’s human-centred worldview to embrace the interconnectedness of the world around us. It calls for humanity to align with ecological principles to promote biodiversity and sustainability.
Professor Renn shares this vision from a philosophical perspective. He concluded by pointing out the interrelatedness of climate change, biodiversity and human activity.
“We have to address them as a phenomenon that is multiply connected,” he reiterated. “And we have to make an effort to understand it and adapt our societies accordingly.”
We always have more to learn if we dare to know.
Learn more:
International experts choose Brock-led proposal for Crawford Lake as site for proposed Anthropocene
Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series
Proposed Anthropocene Epoch Seeks Formal Approval
Earth’s Inner Core Falling Behind Planet’s Rotation
Buried Tree May Explain Earth’s Magnetic Field
