There is a steadily growing consensus that recent human activity has had such an impact that it has shifted the Earth into a new geologic epoch of our own making. The advent of this epoch, known as the Anthropocene, has generated much discussion and tension between the various science disciplines. The major issue being discussed is whether there is a need for a new era covering the last three centuries of human impact on the planet. Defining this epoch, in terms of both time and space, has also sparked heated debates between different social and geological sciences, specifically the disciplines of Archaeology and Geology. Environmental archaeology has contributed to the defining of the lines surrounding this heavily debated epoch through the
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This concept of the Anthropocene was first introduced over a century ago (Marsh, 1864), however this was dismissed by the geological community as human influences weren’t considered significant in comparison to natural forces (Berry, 1925). The concept has recently been brought up again, challenging the relevance of the human imprint (Crutzen & Stoermer, 2000; Zalasiewicz et al., 2008). Unlike the previous eras in Earth’s history, which were marked by huge events such as meteorite strikes and global ice ages, this era is marked by the human species. Humans have created sediment impounding dams, have cut down entire forests, altered ecosystems, and have drilled deep mines into the Earth, and the consequences for such massive developments can be observed in worldwide environmental changes, such as global climate change, widespread extinctions, and extensive pollution. These are a few of the unique impacts responsible for the rapidly changing Earth that exists today, and it is this unique web of characteristics that defines the Anthropocene.
Although archaeology and geology are related disciplines which share many principles, the discussion of the Anthropocene has, in some cases, brought them to dividing paths. Differences over the beginning of the Anthropocene have also arisen between the two sciences. By analysing the perspectives of both disciplines regarding the validity and origin …show more content…
Some argue that the Anthropocene should have its beginnings in the recent past. Between 1750 and 1800 humans were able to access fossilised fuels and gases, which unleashed the human enterprise. Since then, mankind has had an explosion of discovery and innovation; from finding the Higgs Boson particle, to living in societies where people possess phones that have more computing power than NASA had in 1969. While there has been an almost immeasurable impact on the Earth from human activities in the last 250 years, many scientists believe that the origin of the Anthropocene should be placed thousands of years ago, making it difficult to draw a common line of thought held amongst geologists and other scientists regarding where the origins of the Anthropocene should be placed (Zhuang & Kidder, 2014; Lewis & Maslin, 2015; Balter, 2013; Zalasiewicz et al., 2008; Dean et al.,
This concept of the Anthropocene was first introduced over a century ago (Marsh, 1864), however this was dismissed by the geological community as human influences weren’t considered significant in comparison to natural forces (Berry, 1925). The concept has recently been brought up again, challenging the relevance of the human imprint (Crutzen & Stoermer, 2000; Zalasiewicz et al., 2008). Unlike the previous eras in Earth’s history, which were marked by huge events such as meteorite strikes and global ice ages, this era is marked by the human species. Humans have created sediment impounding dams, have cut down entire forests, altered ecosystems, and have drilled deep mines into the Earth, and the consequences for such massive developments can be observed in worldwide environmental changes, such as global climate change, widespread extinctions, and extensive pollution. These are a few of the unique impacts responsible for the rapidly changing Earth that exists today, and it is this unique web of characteristics that defines the Anthropocene.
Although archaeology and geology are related disciplines which share many principles, the discussion of the Anthropocene has, in some cases, brought them to dividing paths. Differences over the beginning of the Anthropocene have also arisen between the two sciences. By analysing the perspectives of both disciplines regarding the validity and origin …show more content…
Some argue that the Anthropocene should have its beginnings in the recent past. Between 1750 and 1800 humans were able to access fossilised fuels and gases, which unleashed the human enterprise. Since then, mankind has had an explosion of discovery and innovation; from finding the Higgs Boson particle, to living in societies where people possess phones that have more computing power than NASA had in 1969. While there has been an almost immeasurable impact on the Earth from human activities in the last 250 years, many scientists believe that the origin of the Anthropocene should be placed thousands of years ago, making it difficult to draw a common line of thought held amongst geologists and other scientists regarding where the origins of the Anthropocene should be placed (Zhuang & Kidder, 2014; Lewis & Maslin, 2015; Balter, 2013; Zalasiewicz et al., 2008; Dean et al.,