Diachronous beginnings of the anthropocene: The lower bounding surface of anthropogenic deposits
Across a large proportion of Earth’s ice-free land surfaces, a solid-phase stratigraphic boundary marks the division between humanly modified ground and natural geological deposits. At its clearest, the division takes the form of an abrupt surface at the base of deposits variously called ‘artificial ground’, ‘anthropogenic ground’ or ‘archaeological stratigraphy’ - which together comprise a distinctive part of the geosphere called the ‘archaeosphere’. In other cases the bounding surface is more diffuse, gradational or mixed, due to action of non-human agencies and anthropedogenic forcings. It is alternately conformable and unconformable. Layers above typically contain artificial features, structures, artifacts and other material traces of human activity, in contrast to their relative absence in layers below. A fundamental characteristic of the boundary is that it is diachronous, still being formed and renewed today. In examining the boundary, this paper asks - does it reflect the diachronous onset and development of the Anthropocene itself?.
Duke Scholars
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- 4407 Policy and administration
- 4406 Human geography
- 4104 Environmental management
- 1605 Policy and Administration
- 0502 Environmental Science and Management
- 0301 Analytical Chemistry
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Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- 4407 Policy and administration
- 4406 Human geography
- 4104 Environmental management
- 1605 Policy and Administration
- 0502 Environmental Science and Management
- 0301 Analytical Chemistry