Nature

This quiet lake could mark the start of a new Anthropocene epoch

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This quiet lake could mark the start of a new Anthropocene epoch

The official marker for the start of a new Anthropocene epoch should be a small Canadian lake whose sediments capture chemical traces of the fallout from nuclear bombs and other forms of environmental degradation. That’s a proposal out today from researchers who have spent 14 years debating when and how humanity began altering the planet.

If the proposal is approved, a sediment core from Crawford Lake — which lies in a conservation area near Toronto — would become the ‘golden spike’ marking the beginning of the Anthropocene, the geological epoch in which humanity has profoundly affected Earth. Year after year, particles settle onto the lake and drift to its bottom, forming sediment layers that record environmental conditions much as tree rings do. Among the embedded contaminants are specks of fly ash— remnants from burning fossil fuels — and traces of radioactive plutonium from atmospheric nuclear bomb testing.

Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine

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The Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine in Hibbing, Minnesota, United States, is the largest operating open-pit iron mine in Minnesota. The pit stretches more than three miles (5 km) long, two miles (3 km) wide, and 535 feet (163 m) deep.[2] It was established in 1895 and was one of the world's first mechanized open-pit mines.[3]

The mine, located in the Mesabi Range, supplied as much as one-fourth of all the iron ore mined in the United States during its peak production from World War I through World War II. This prodigious output made Minnesota the nation's largest iron ore producer and the U.S. the world's largest steel manufacturer.[3]

The Hull–Rust–Mahoning Mine was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[1] The city of Hibbing has long maintained a public overlook and visitor center on the rim of the mine, attracting tens of thousands of tourists each year. In 2019, the overlook was to be moved as mining operations expand.[4]

World Population 2023

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India is estimated to be the most populous country in the world, more the 4.2 times larger then the United States of America.

World Population 2023
Rank Country Population in Millions Population annual doubling time, years Percent of World Population Relative to US Population
1 India 1,428.6 75 17.76% 420.2%
2 China 1,425.7 – 17.72% 419.3%
3 United States of America 340.0 129 4.23% 100.0%
4 Indonesia 277.5 84 3.45% 81.6%
5 Pakistan 240.5 35 2.99% 70.7%
6 Nigeria 223.8 29 2.78% 65.8%
7 Brazil 216.4 121 2.69% 63.6%
8 Bangladesh 173.0 68 2.15% 50.9%
9 Russian Federation 144.4 – 1.79% 42.5%
10 Mexico 128.5 94 1.60% 37.8%
11 Ethiopia 126.5 28 1.57% 37.2%
12 Japan 123.3 – 1.53% 36.3%
13 Philippines 117.3 46 1.46% 34.5%
14 Egypt 112.7 45 1.40% 33.1%
15 Democratic Republic of the Congo 102.3 21 1.27% 30.1%
16 Viet Nam 98.9 105 1.23% 29.1%
17 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 89.2 94 1.11% 26.2%
18 Türkiye 85.8 132 1.07% 25.2%
19 Germany 83.3 – 1.04% 24.5%
20 Thailand 71.8 – 0.89% 21.1%
Andy Arthur, 4/19/23. Data Source: unfpa.org/data/world-population-dashboard