The Silurian hypothesis: would it be possible to detect an industrial civilization in the geological record?
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: If an industrial civilization had existed on Earth many millions of years prior to our own era, what traces would it have left and would they be detectable today? We summarize the likely geological fingerprint of the Anthropocene, and demonstrate that while clear, it will not differ greatly in many respects from other known events in the geological record. We then propose tests that could plausibly distinguish an industrial cause from an otherwise naturally occurring climate event.
Authors: Gavin A. Schmidt, Adam Frank
Institutions: Goddard Institute for Space Studies, University of Rochester
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2796534955