Waters, Colin N;
Williams, Mark;
Zalasiewicz, Jan;
Turner, Simon D;
Barnosky, Anthony D;
Head, Martin J;
Wing, Scott L;
... Jeandel, Catherine; + view all
(2022)
Epochs, events and episodes: Marking the geological impact of humans.
Earth-Science Reviews
, Article 104171. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104171.
(In press).
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Abstract
Event stratigraphy is used to help characterise the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphic concept, based on analogous deep-time events, for which we provide a novel categorization. Events in stratigraphy are distinct from extensive, time-transgressive ‘episodes’ – such as the global, highly diachronous record of anthropogenic change, termed here an Anthropogenic Modification Episode (AME). Nested within the AME are many geologically correlatable events, the most notable being those of the Great Acceleration Event Array (GAEA). This isochronous array of anthropogenic signals represents brief, unique events evident in geological deposits, e.g.: onset of the radionuclide ‘bomb-spike’; appearance of novel organic chemicals and fuel ash particles; marked changes in patterns of sedimentary deposition, heavy metal contents and carbon/nitrogen isotopic ratios; and ecosystem changes leaving a global fossil record; all around the mid-20th century. The GAEA reflects a fundamental transition of the Earth System to a new state in which many parameters now lie beyond the range of Holocene variability. Globally near-instantaneous events can provide robust primary guides for chronostratigraphic boundaries. Given the intensity, magnitude, planetary significance and global isochroneity of the GAEA, it provides a suitable level for recognition of the base of the Anthropocene as a series/epoch.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Epochs, events and episodes: Marking the geological impact of humans |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104171 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104171 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
| Keywords: | Anthropocene, Anthropogenic modification episode, chronostratigraphy, Great Acceleration Event Array |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10155947 |
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