3.1.18 (HL)—Anthropocene debate

The Anthropocene is a proposed, debated epoch; candidate start markers must be sharply dated, globally correlatable and preserved.

Candidates emphasize different human signals: a 1610 CO₂ dip, ~1950 fly ash and a 1964 carbon-14 peak. Compare what each records and how globally it can be identified.

A 1964 radionuclide peak is sharply dated, while a regional land-use signal may be harder to correlate globally.

A clear signal in many locations with a defensible geological archive and causal human link.

Do not present one candidate as settled fact; the epoch and start date remain debated.