The proposed Anthropocene Epoch/Series is underpinned by an extensive array of mid‐20^th century stratigraphic event signals

Abstract

The extensive array of mid‐20th century stratigraphic event signals associated with the ‘Great Acceleration’ enables precise and unambiguous recognition of the Anthropocene as an epoch/series within the Geological Time Scale. A mid‐20th century inception is consistent with Earth System science analysis in which the Anthropocene term and concept arose, and would reflect the reality that our planet has sharply exited the range of natural variability characterizing the Holocene Epoch/Series, which the Anthropocene would therefore terminate. An alternative, recently proposed ‘geological event’ approach to the Anthropocene is primarily an interdisciplinary concept, encompassing historical and socio‐cultural processes and their global environmental impacts over a diachronous timeframe that extends back at least many millennia. Resembling more closely a geological episode than an event, it would decouple the Anthropocene from its chronostratigraphic delineation and association with an abrupt planetary perturbation; but separately defined and differently named it might be usefully complementary. We recommend a clear separation of epochs, events and episodes. An epoch is a formal subdivision of the Geological Time Scale, and its correlation may be assisted by one or more events; an event is usually, and particularly in the Quaternary, a brief incident or perturbation with a sedimentary expression; and an episode is a longer, internally complex time interval that may include several events and even extend across several epochs.

The Anthropocene as an epoch is distinct from all other concepts known by this term: a reply to Swindles et al. (2023)

“…a) Geological timescale for the Quaternary, as sanctioned by the International Union of Geological Sciences/International Commission on Stratigraphy, but with the Anthropocene added as a proposed new series/epoch. Ratified boundaries are identified by a golden spike symbol (indicating a Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point; GSSP); pending and proposed boundaries are marked by a grey spike symbol (from Head et al, 2022b). A new stage name (replacing Stage 8) would be based on the locality of the GSSP also defining the Anthropocene.…”

“…The inception of this Anthropocene is marked by a wide array of stratigraphic markers clustered around the mid-20th century (Waters et al, 2016(Waters et al, , 2023b; Fig. 1) known as the Great Acceleration Event Array (Head et al, 2022b;Waters et al, 2022).…”

The ‘Anthropocene’ is most useful as an informal concept

“…Waters et al, 2016). Researchers have strong opinions over where the base of the Anthropocene, as a new geological epoch, should be set and the various stratigraphic markers that could potentially be used to define it (Lewis and Maslin, 2015; Swindles et al, 2015; Waters et al, 2016; Head et al, 2022). Some recent studies have suggested that the Anthropocene should, instead, be defined as an ongoing geological event as it reflects the ongoing human impact on Planet Earth (see Gibbard et al, 2022; Edwards et al, 2022).…”

Editorial: Health service management and leadership: COVID-style

“…The importance and urgency of this Research Topic follow extant research, from which three key points are apparent. First, there are likely to be COVID-like pandemics in the future, partly due to the Anthropocene epoch (8)(9)(10)(11). Second, although health services are certainly familiar with, if not accustomed to crisis management, many are ill-prepared for the system-wide effects-if not, seismic shift-associated with instances like COVID-19.…”