Signals in layers of sedimentary rock hint at climates and ecosystems come and gone. Understanding this history can help us forecast the future, but challenges abound.
stratigraphy
Posted inNews
Eruption in El Salvador Was One of the Holocene’s Largest
Roughly 1,500 years ago, the Tierra Blanca Joven eruption blanketed Central America in ash and likely displaced Maya settlements, new research shows.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Unravelling the Past Using Elements and Isotopes
A new book explores chemostratigraphy, a fascinating and relatively young branch of geoscience, presenting the latest developments and applications.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Here Comes the Anthropocene
Two recent papers in Earth's Future discuss the addition of a new epoch to the geological timescale.
Posted inNews
Scientific Study Group Favors Recognizing Human-Influenced Epoch
A formal proposal could take 3–4 years to prepare and then would require evaluation and approval by other scientists.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Unraveling the History of Central Europe's Pannonian Basin
A multidisciplinary model linking the sedimentary and tectonic histories of this structurally complex basin suggests that large amounts of extension occurred there between 20 and 9 million years ago.
Posted inOpinions
What Is the Anthropocene?
Geologists must consider whether the Anthropocene is a specific segment in the continuum of time or a holistic concept.
Posted inScience Updates
Climate and Ocean Dynamics During the Cretaceous
Exploring the Cretaceous World with Data and Numerical Models; Capo Granitola, 2–4 October 2014