Defining the Anthropocene

@article{Lewis2015DefiningTA,
  title={Defining the Anthropocene},
  author={Simon L. Lewis and Mark A. Maslin},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2015},
  volume={519},
  pages={171-180}
}
Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth’s state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the… 
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1,591 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
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1,591 Citations

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The geological community and the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) are moving ever closer to formalizing a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene. First proposed to raise awareness for planetary…
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  • 2019
The idea that we are living in the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch defined by human activity, has gained substantial currency across the academy and with the broader public. Within the earth…
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