title: Stratigraphy of the Anthropocene.
abstract: The Anthropocene, an informal term used to signal the impact of collective human activity on biological, physical and chemical processes on the Earth system, is assessed using stratigraphic criteria. It is complex in time, space and process, and may be considered in terms of the scale, relative timing, duration and novelty of its various phenomena. The lithostratigraphic signal includes both direct components, such as urban constructions and man-made deposits, and indirect ones, such as sediment flux changes. Already widespread, these are producing a significant 'event layer', locally with considerable long-term preservation potential. Chemostratigraphic signals include new organic compounds, but are likely to be dominated by the effects of CO(2) release, particularly via acidification in the marine realm, and man-made radionuclides. The sequence stratigraphic signal is negligible to date, but may become geologically significant over centennial/millennial time scales. The rapidly growing biostratigraphic signal includes geologically novel aspects (the scale of globally transferred species) and geologically will have permanent effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. jaz1@le.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zalasiewicz
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fortey
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Tiffany L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Angela L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Coe
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Bown
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Rawson
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gale
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gibbard
authors.forename: F John
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Hounslow
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oates
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D057231:Climate Change / Q000266:history; D017753:Ecosystem; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005580:Fossils; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D058865:Introduced Species / Q000266:history; D013997:Time Factors