The Anthropocene

• Define the Anthropocene


  • The Anthropocene is a proposed new epoch of geological time. It was originally proposed as a consequence of the influence of humans on earth being visible in the rock record
  • It has 2 formal criteria
  • Recorded in geological stratigraphic material
  • Defined via a lower boundary
• Humans and the Anthropocene

  • The world continues to be influenced by humans with climate change and global biodiversity loss on the rise
  • Globally, humans have had a large impact on our landscapes. We have influenced climate change, the use of landscapes, the geomorphology or lack of in an area and geology
• Climate change - the anthropocene

  • Increased CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions are having an increased effect on extreme weather patterns, permafrost environments, loss of biodiversity and sea level rise
• Landscape use- the anthropocene

  Forest and vegetation loss has led to the loss of biodiversity, as humans change the environment to be used for agriculture and farming  
• Geomorphology - the anthropocene

  The exploitation of minerals has led to the destruction of geomorphic features and the rapid urbanisation also leads to a loss of geomorphic diversity
• Geology

  • New rocks have been found to be melded to plastic, proposing new rock types and plastic as a sediment
• Human impacts on Australia

  • Significant use of land was untaken by first nations people in a sustainable matter
  • European colonisation led to wide spread agriculture, this includes grains and the introduction of sheep for farming
  • Farming and mining in Australia left clear markers of an anthrophonic impact in Australia
• The Murray- Darling Basin

  In the Murray Darling Basin, the period of agricultural expansion coincides with a large increase of dust deposition. The clearing of vegetation in this region caused changes in the natural hydrology regime, which increased soil salinity. As an end result high soil salinity promotes wind erosion
• Anthropocene source to sink

  • Sediment production for anthropogenic soil erosion, construction, mining, and sand and gravel mining has increased by 467% between 1950 and 2010
  • As a result, the transport of sediments to coastal areas via rivers, ice loss, wind, has decreased by 23% between 1950 and 2010
  • Sediment consumption in the Anthropocene has increased by 2,550% between 1950 and 2010
  • Anthropogenic transport of sediments has increased in marine environments by 780% between 1950 and 2010