Is a new epoch upon us?

A team of scientists believe a new epoch should be added to the geological time scale beginning in the 1950s – dubbed the Anthropocene – due to mankind’s enormous impact on the Earth 

GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALE (starting billions of years ago)


4.6 4 3 2 1 Present day

Precambrian time T
Direction of time
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era


Geologists measure time in:

Eons
Phanerozoic

Eras
Cenozoic

Periods
Paleogene
Neogene
Quaternary

Epochs
Holocene
Pleistocene
Pliocene
Miocene
Oligocene
Eocene
Paleocene

Ages
Upper
Chibanian
Calabrian
Gelasian
Piacenzian
Zanclean
Messinian
Tortonian
Serravallian
Langhian
Burdigalian
Aquitanian
Chattian
Rupelian
Priabonian
Bartonian
Lutetian
Ypresian
Thanetian
Selandian
Danian

Present day
11,700 years ago
3 million
5m
23m
34m
56m
66m


New Anthropocene Epoch and possibly Crawfordian Age could be added – latter named after lake that clearly preserves effects of human activity in sediment

Present day

Anthropocene 
70 years ago
Holocene 11,700

Crawfordian
Meghalayan
Northgrippian
Greenlandian

Crawford Lake
Milton, Ontario CANADA


Sources: AP, Encyclopedia Britannica
Pictures: Getty Images, Billy Huynh (Unsplash)
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