A New Geological Epoch, the Anthropocene, Has Begun, Scientists Say
![](https://theanthropocene.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/mushroom-cloud-of-first-hydrogen-bomb-test.jpg)
By Emily Chung | CBC News – Technology & Science | January 7, 2016
We’re living through one of the most extraordinary events in Earth’s history — the start of a new geological epoch, an international group of scientists says.
Welcome to the Anthropocene, everyone.
Geological epochs are long periods of time — typically lasting around two million years — separated by major, global changes to the planet, such as the massive exploding meteor that ended the Late Cretaceous and wiped out the dinosaurs.