"Crawford Lake: The Symbolic Beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch"
Scientists have identified Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada as the potential "golden spike" marking the start of the Anthropocene, the age of humans. The lake's sediments contain a thousand-year record of environmental history, showing a surge in man-made disruption around the middle of the 20th century. The proposal to establish the Anthropocene as a new epoch beginning in 1950 will undergo scrutiny by the geology community before being ratified next year. While some scientists question the inclusion of the Anthropocene on the geologic time scale, the evidence from Crawford Lake and other sites is considered strong. Regardless of formal recognition, the findings aim to raise awareness about the rapid and irreversible changes caused by human actions.
- Crawford Lake in Canada marks beginning of ‘Anthropocene,’ scientists say The Washington Post
- Scientists say they’ve found a site that marks a new chapter in Earth’s history CNN
- Nuclear bomb fallout chosen to define start of Anthropocene The Guardian
- The Anthropocene: Canadian lake mud 'symbolic of human changes to Earth' BBC
- Scientists Choose Crawford Lake to Represent Start of Anthropocene Epoch The New York Times
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