Image caption The famous timeline will be updated to reflect the new “stages”, or “ages”, as they are called.
By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent
18 July 2018
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.
Image copyright IUGS Image caption A portion of an Indian stalagmite that defines the beginning of the Meghalayan Age
It should be said, however, there is disquiet in the scientific community at the way the change has been introduced. Some researchers feel there has been insufficient discussion on the matter since the Meghalayan was first raised as an idea in a scholarly paper six years ago.
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Geologists divide up the 4.6-billion-year existence of Earth into slices of time.
Each slice corresponds to significant happenings – such as the break-up of continents, dramatic shifts in climate, and even the emergence of particular types of animals and plant life.
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