"The presence of plutonium gives us a stark indicator of when humanity became such a dominant force that it could leave a unique global 'fingerprint' on our planet."
Crawford Lake in Canada has been proposed as the global reference point for the beginning of the Anthropocene — a new geological epoch defined by human activity as the dominant influence on the planet's climate and environment.
The proposal marks a significant step towards acknowledging the Anthropocene as a distinct epoch in geological history, which has substantial implications for understanding our impact on the Earth.
The beginning of the Anthropocene
Some geologists propose that we are currently living in the Anthropocene, a new epoch where human activity dominates the climate and environment.
However, scientific disagreement exists on its beginning, evidence, and whether it qualifies as a new geological age.
To address these questions, the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) created the Anthropocene Working Group. They have chosen Crawford Lake in Canada as the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Anthropocene.
"The sediments found at the bottom of Crawford Lake provide an exquisite record of recent environmental change over the last millennia," said Dr. Simon Turner, secretary of the Anthropocene Working Group from UCL, in a press release.
He explained that the yearly changes in water chemistry and ecology have created layers that can be studied to find various indicators of past human activity.
"It is this ability to precisely record and store this information as a geological archive that can be matched to historical global environmental changes which make sites such as Crawford Lake so important," he said.
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