Human activity driving earth into new geological era

London: The impact of human activities on the Earth has triggered a new geological era, the Anthropocene, which is marked by the spread of man-made materials such as aluminium, concrete, plastic, and fallout from nuclear testing across the planet, says a study.

"Humans have long affected the environment, but recently, there has been a rapid global spread of novel materials including aluminium, concrete and plastics, which are leaving their mark in sediments,” said Dr Colin Waters of the British Geological Survey.

Waters is part of an international team of researchers who are trying to find out to what extent are human actions recorded as measurable signals in geological strata, and whether the Anthropocene world is markedly different from the stable Holocene Epoch of the last 11,700 years that allowed human civilisation to develop, according to the University of Leicester.

The Holocene Epoch was a time in which human societies advanced by gradually domesticating the land to increase food production, built urban settlements and became proficient at developing the water, mineral and energy resources of the planet.