The Anthropocene: a new epoch of geological time?
Abstract
Anthropogenic changes to the Earth's climate, land, oceans and biosphere are now so great and so rapid that the concept of a new geological epoch defined by the action of humans, the Anthropocene, is widely and seriously debated. Questions of the scale, magnitude and significance of this environmental change, particularly in the context of the Earth's geological history, provide the basis for this Theme Issue. The Anthropocene, on current evidence, seems to show global change consistent with the suggestion that an epoch-scale boundary has been crossed within the last two centuries.
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The very different land-use histories produced by different models of Holocene land-use change have major implications for understanding the emergence of humans as a global-scale force transforming climate.
“As a result, the very different land-use histories produced by different models of Holocene land-use change (Figs. 1 and 2) have major implications in understanding the emergence of humans as a global-scale force transforming climate—a key indicator of Earth system transformation and the emergence of the Anthropocene (9–11).”
From Used planet: a global history (2013) · cites this paper as [10]
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Self-citationThe Working Group on the Anthropocene: Summary of evidence and interim recommendations
Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Summerhayes, C. P., Wolfe, A. P., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., Crutzen, P., Ellis, E., Fairchild, I. J., Gałuszka, A., et al. (2017) · Anthropocene · doi:10.1016/j.ancene.2017.09.001 · Cited by 487 · see citing works
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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
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Gałuszka, A., Migaszewski, Z. M., & Zalasiewicz, J. (2014) · Geological Society, London, Special Publications · doi:10.1144/sp395.5 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Self-citationThe mineral signature of the Anthropocene in its deep-time context
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Zalasiewicz, J., Williams, M., Haywood, A., & Ellis, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Leicester (GB)
- British Geological Survey (GB)
- University of Leeds (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Zalasiewicz, Jan
- Venue
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2011-03-13
- Volume
- 369
- Issue
- 1938
- Pages
- 835-841
- ISSN
- 1364-503X (ISSN-L)
- 1471-2962
- OpenAlex
- W2112882763
- Cited by
- 646
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 62 · 2019: 54 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 49 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 47 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 26.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) (acceptedVersion)
- Leicester Research Archive (University of Leicester) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Environment Research Council (ncas10009, bgs05002)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution
- Keywords
- Anthropocene, geological epochs, anthropogenic impacts, global change, anthropogenic climate change, land use change, ocean change, geological time scale
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