HONG KONG : The massive movement of species between continents and the deaths of some 50 million indigenous peoples from smallpox mark 1610 as the onset of the Anthropocene Epoch, scientists say.
For most of planet Earth’s history, epochs started and ended because of geological forces, such as major, long-lasting volcanic eruptions, or from the impacts of giant meteorites from outer space.All that changed when humans arrived on the scene.
The Anthropocene Epoch, or ‘human epoch’ began when human actions began to have a dramatic impact on planet Earth. Scientists, however, have not been able to reach a consensus as to the precise date of this change.
Now, researchers from the University College of London (UCL) and Leeds University say the date of the dawn of the Anthropocene is 1610—when the massive and unprecedented exchange of species between continents that began with Columbus’ journey to the Americas in 1492 changed planet Earth forever. This, and the later expansion of global trade, completely reshaped the distribution of life on Earth.
To usher in a new epoch, two conditions precedent had to be met, the researchers say. First, documented, long-lasting changes to Earth must be present. Second, the change in global environment must be geologically recorded in rock, ice cores, or sediments from the ocean floor. When these criteria are met, you have what scientists call a ‘golden spike.’
The scientists found that the year 1610 nicely fit the criteria due to an unusual drop in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere—a drop that is captured in ancient Antarctic ice. This dramatic decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide can be attributed to the deaths of some 50 million indigenous peoples of the New World from the introduction of smallpox by Europeans.
The unprecedented number of human deaths in the Americas led to a continent-wide cessation of agriculture and the later regrowth of forests, which removed large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air. The researchers are calling this golden spike the ‘Orbis Spike,’ using the Latin word for ‘world.’
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