Morphology: A Significant Change In The Anthropocene

The Anthropocene should be made an official geologic epoch. Epochs are marked by a significant change in the geologic record. There is no doubt that humans, the dominant species of the Anthropocene, have had a vast influence on the planet. The most rapid change in the geologic record has happened since 1950, dubbed the 'Great Acceleration'. This is the starting point of a great rise in energy consumption so extensive that it is changing the Earth's climate. A rapid rise in urbanization has morphed the Earth's surface and changed the distribution of sediments. Pollution has increased, and we now produce an incredible amount of plastic waste that will take thousands of years to decompose, as well as radioactive waste that has an extremely long decay time. However, many of these geologic record effecting actions existed prior to 1950, just at a slower rate. 1750 marks the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, where the conversion of coal to stream power led to increased expansion and energy consumption. Coal is a heavy polluter that causes acid rain from the air pollution. Dumping of waste into river also greatly …show more content…
Global sea levels have risen, which led to greater damage in coastal areas than what would have occurred with the same storm 20 years earlier. Global temperatures have risen, which leads to more powerful storms. Hurricane Sandy just happened to be the largest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Ocean. The amount of damage done by Sandy shows climate change in action.
It's hard to determine what I would pursue if I majored in Geology because there are many different directions I would find interesting. Using my expertise to help clean up areas, like abandoned mines, would be very rewarding. Studying volcanoes and trying to improve detection methods would be interesting. Analyzing the geological features of other planets and asteroids would probably be the coolest career