“On the geological time scale, a human lifetime is reduced to a brevity that is too inhibiting to think about deep time”*…
The official history of Earth has a new chapter – and we are in it.
Geologists have classified the last 4,200 years as being a distinct age in the story of our planet.
They are calling it the Meghalayan Age, the onset of which was marked by a mega-drought that crushed a number of civilisations worldwide.
The International Chronostratigraphic Chart, the famous diagram depicting the timeline for Earth’s history (seen on many classroom walls) will be updated [as above]…
More at “Welcome to the Meghalayan Age – a new phase in history.”
But lest one think that a move like this is without controversy, consider this professional reaction:
“What the fuck is the Meghalayan?” asked Ben van der Pluijm, a geologist.
Whatever the Meghalayan is, we live in it now…
More at “Geology’s Timekeepers Are Feuding.”
* John McPhee
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As we take sides, we might recall that it was exactly 75 years ago today, on this date in 1943, that Los Angeles had it’s first major attack of smog:
On July 26, 1943 a “gas attack” hit the city of Los Angeles.
Here’s how Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly described this dark day in Angeleno history in the first line of their essential book, “Smogtown“: “The beast you couldn’t stab fanned its poison across the waking downtown.” The “beast” was smog… [source]
The L.A. Civic Center in a 40’s smog cloud
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