Can nuclear weapons fallout mark the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch?

Waters, Colin N.; Syvitski, James P.M.; Galuszka, Agnieszka; Hancock, Gary J.; Zalasiewicz, Jan; Cearreta, Alejandro; Grinevald, Jacques; Jeandel, Catherine; McNeill, J.R.; Summerhayes, Colin; Barnosky, Anthony. 2015 Can nuclear weapons fallout mark the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch? Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 71 (3). 46-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0096340215581357

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Abstract/Summary

Many scientists are making the case that humanity is living in a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, but there is no agreement yet as to when this epoch began. The start might be defined by a historical event, such as the beginning of the fossil-fueled Industrial Revolution or the first nuclear explosion in 1945. Standard stratigraphic practice, however, requires a more significant, globally widespread, and abrupt signature, and the fallout from nuclear weapons testing appears most suitable. The appearance of plutonium 239 (used in post- 1945 above-ground nuclear weapons tests) makes a good marker: This isotope is rare in nature but a significant component of fallout. It has other features to recommend it as a stable marker in layers of sedimentary rock and soil, including: long half-life, low solubility, and high particle reactivity. It may be used in conjunction with other radioactive isotopes, such as americium 241 and carbon 14, to categorize distinct fallout signatures in sediments and ice caps. On a global scale, the first appearance of plutonium 239 in sedimentary sequences corresponds to the early 1950s. While plutonium is easily detectable over the entire Earth using modern measurement techniques, a site to define the Anthropocene (known as a Ògolden spikeÓ) would ideally be located between 30 and 60 degrees north of the equator, where fallout is maximal, within undisturbed marine or lake environments.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1177/0096340215581357
ISSN:	0096-3402
Additional Keywords:	Anthropocene, golden spike, nuclear weapons fallout, radioactive isotope, radiogenic signature, Trinity test
NORA Subject Terms:	Earth Sciences
Date made live:	15 May 2015 08:45 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/510793

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