The Anthropocene is a newly coined phenomenon regarding the epoch where human activity has had a holistic and significant impact on the Earth including its stratigraphic, geology, climate and ecosystems. Humans have undoubtedly impacted the earth, whether it is transient or enduring has not yet been fully determined. Humans have altered the earth’s balance by overproducing and over using the earth’s resources. For instance, the burning of fossil fuels has invisibly changed the overall composition of the earth’s atmosphere, creating further visible problems such as the extinction of species at rates higher than ever seen before. Deforestation and pollution furthers adds to this species extinction, creating one of the earths largest mass extinctions since the Ordovician. Human impact has been relatively prevalent since the industrial revolution however the controversial name for this time period remains. Geologists and Stratigraphers started using the word after Paul Crutzen first used it around a decade ago. Crutzen said “We are no longer in the Holocene; we are in the Anthropocene” at a scientific conference, which marked our transforming mindset when regarding our current era. Nonetheless, the reliability of the name, Anthropocene, is still widely criticized, many say that even though the human race’s influence will change the structure of our atmosphere and sedimentary rock, including the appearance and disappearance of certain fossils, such as techno fossils and loss of species, since it has not yet occurred, many criticize the names relevance in our era. Humanity will further alter the earths general configuration, and these widespread changes will become even more established, however its prevalence now is nevertheless significant and unavoidable.
