The International Union of Geological Sciences chose not to designate a new geologic epoch, but the matter is not yet settled.
stratigraphy
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Unlocking Earth’s Terrestrial Sedimentary Record with Paleosols
Harnessing the micro-stratigraphy of pedogenic carbonates, scientists have demonstrated that age determination of fossil soils is possible via uranium-lead dating.
Posted inNews
What’s Next for the Anthropocene?
Researchers weigh in on the meaning and aftermath of the decision to reject designating “Anthropocene” as an official geological epoch.
Posted inNews
A Lake Paves the Way for Defining the Anthropocene
Scientists recently voted to designate Crawford Lake, a small body of water in southern Canada, as the reference site of the “Age of Man.”
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Specious Timescales from Sedimentary Layers
Changing environments can dramatically change how quickly layers form in sedimentary rocks, leading to incorrect time estimates.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Shape of Pits on the Moon
Three-dimensional reconstructions enable virtual exploration of pits on the Moon.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Shining a Spotlight on the Chicxulub Impact Crater
A new seismic survey of the Chicxulub impact crater reveals the structure of its peak ring and the sediments that cover it.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Why Rivers Need Their Floodplains
Floodplain storage of water, nutrients, and sediment is critical to sustaining river ecosystems but has been reduced by human activities.
Posted inNews
The Difficulty of Defining the Anthropocene
Humans may be in a new geologic epoch—the Anthropocene—but different groups define its start at varied times. When should the Anthropocene have begun?
Posted inScience Updates
By Land or Sea: How Did Mammals Get to the Caribbean Islands?
A multidisciplinary team is jointly investigating mammal evolution and subduction dynamics to unravel how flightless land mammals migrated to the Greater Antilles and other Caribbean islands.