Canadian lake chosen to represent start of Anthropocene
by Damian Carrington Environment editor from Environment | The Guardian on (#6CWJC)
Nuclear bomb fallout marks dawn of new epoch in which humanity dominates planet
The site to represent the start of the Anthropocene epoch on Earth has been selected by scientists. It will mark the end of 11,700 years of a stable global environment in which the whole of human civilisation developed and the start of a new age, dominated by human activities.
The site is a sinkhole lake in Canada. It hosts annual sediments showing clear spikes due to the colossal impact of humanity on the planet from 1950 onwards, from plutonium from hydrogen bomb tests to the particles from fossil fuel burning that have showered the globe.
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