Geologists have formally proposed which new name for the current period in Earth's history?

In 2008, geologists proposed a new epoch to be called 'Anthropocene'. Their proposal is intended to formally define a period on Earth in which humans are the primary cause of permanent planetary changes such as ocean acidification, mass extinction, biodiversity loss, ecological crisis, and ecological collapse.

The term 'Anthropocene' is formed from combining the Ancient Greek words 'anthropos' (human) and 'kainos' (new or recent).

In 2021, the International Commission on Stratigraphy will decide on formal introduction of the Anthropocene into the Geological Time Scale, after reviewing work by the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG). Stratigraphy refers to the study of rock layers and sediment, notably as evidence of planetary time periods.

The AWG is tasked to propose the date which marks the end of the Holocene epoch and the start of the Anthropocene. Start dates under study include:

- 1963: Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

- 1950: Start of the Great Acceleration of technological growth

- 1945: First detonation of a nuclear bomb

- Circa 1780: Start of the Industrial Revolution

- Circa 10,000 BC: Start of the Neolithic and Agricultural Revolution

Another goal of the AWG is to define the related geological markers in the Earth's rock and sediment deposit layers, or strata. Potential Anthropocene-specific markers currently identified by the AWG include:

- microplastics

- heavy metal traces

- radioactive nuclei resulting from thermonuclear weapons