Spheroidal Carbonaceous Fly Ash Particles Provide a Globally Synchronous Stratigraphic Marker for the Anthropocene
Open accessAbstract
Human impacts on Earth are now so great that they have led to the concept of a new geological epoch defined by this global human influence: the Anthropocene. While not universally accepted, the term is increasingly popular and widely used. However, even among proponents, there is considerable debate regarding when the epoch may have started, from coeval with the Holocene, through the Industrial Revolution, to the mid-20th century when unprecedented human activities resulted in exponential increases in population, resource consumption, and pollutant emission. Recently, this latter period, known as the Great Acceleration, appears to be becoming the more widely accepted start date. To define any start point, a global stratigraphic marker or Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is typically required. Here, spheroidal carbonaceous fly ash particles (SCPs), byproducts of industrial fossil-fuel combustion, are proposed as a primary marker for a GSSP at the time of the Great Acceleration. Data from over 75 lake sediment records show a global, synchronous, and dramatic increase in particle accumulation starting in c. 1950 driven by the increased demand for electricity and the introduction of fuel-oil combustion, in addition to coal, as a means to produce it. SCPs are morphologically distinct and solely anthropogenic in origin, providing an unambiguous marker. This is a clear signal of great stratigraphic utility representing a primary driving force for global anthropogenic change.
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Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) are a particulate by-product of high temperature, industrial combustion of coal-series and oil fuels.
“Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) are a particulate by-product of high temperature, industrial combustion of coal-series and oil fuels.”
From The varved succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series (2023) · cites this paper as Rose, 2015
SCPs are morphologically distinct making them unambiguous indicators of deposition from coal-series and oil fuels.
“They are morphologically distinct (Supplemental Figures S17 and S18) making them unambiguous indicators of deposition from these sources (Rose, 2015).”
From The varved succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series (2023) · cites this paper as Rose, 2015
Spherical carbonaceous particles show near-synchronous global increase around 1950 C.E., with peak signatures from the 1960s-1990s.
“SCPs, first recorded in various sites in the UK from 1830-1860 C.E., show near-synchronous global increase around 1950 C.E., with peak signatures from the 1960's-1990's ( 32, 33 ; Fig. 2B).”
From The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene (2016) · cites this paper as [32]
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The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene
Waters, C. N., Zalasiewicz, J., Summerhayes, C., Barnosky, A. D., Poirier, C., Gałuszka, A., Cearreta, A., Edgeworth, M., Ellis, E. C., Ellis, M., et al. (2016) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aad2622 · Cited by 2,375 · see citing works
“to the peak value in each lake core [modified from (32)], and global black carbon from available annual”
BackgroundThe Working Group on the Anthropocene: Summary of evidence and interim recommendations
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McCarthy, F. M., Patterson, R. T., Head, M. J., Riddick, N. L., Cumming, B. F., Hamilton, P. B., Pisaric, M. F., Gushulak, A. C., Leavitt, P. R., Lafond, K. M., et al. (2023) · The Anthropocene Review · doi:10.1177/20530196221149281 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
“They are morphologically distinct (Supplemental Figures S17 and S18) making them unambiguous indicators of deposition from these sources (Rose, 2015).”
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Members of the Anthropocene Working Group:, Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., Edgeworth, M., Ellis, E. C., Gałuszka, A., Gibbard, P. L., Grinevald, J., et al. (2015) · The Anthropocene Review · doi:10.1177/2053019615587056 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
- Authors
- Rose, N. L.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Rose, Neil L.
- ORCID
- Rose, Neil L.
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2015-03-19
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 4155-4162
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W2029265316
- Cited by
- 178
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 16.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Coal and Its By-products
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Keywords
- Anthropocene, Great Acceleration, GSSP, stratigraphic markers, fossil fuel combustion, lake sediments, industrial pollution, anthropogenic change
- MeSH terms
- Coal, Fossil Fuels, Fuel Oils, Geology, Humans, Human Activities, Industry, Geologic Sediments, Lakes, Coal Ash
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