Exploring the Anthropocene

What unique features did the explorers find on the planet they discovered?

• High levels of carbon dioxide

• Desert landscapes

• Frozen oceans

• Abundant water and green land

What is the name of the new epoch that geologists might classify due to human impact?

• Anthropocene

• Pleistocene

• Jurassic

• Holocene

During which historical period did human population and consumption begin to rapidly increase?

• The Renaissance

• The Industrial Revolution

• The Middle Ages

• The Bronze Age

What material is mentioned as being produced in a mass equal to the weight of all humans on Earth each year?

• Plastic

• Glass

• Wood

• Steel

What are technofossils?

• Natural rock formations

• Traces of technology and human-made objects

• Fossils of ancient plants

• Fossils of extinct animals

What chemical elements would future explorers find concentrated due to catalytic converters?

• Gold and silver

• Platinum, rhodium, and palladium

• Iron and copper

• Lead and zinc

What would ice cores from the future show about the Earth's atmosphere?

• A decrease in oxygen levels

• A constant temperature

• Stable carbon dioxide levels

• Sudden spikes in methane and carbon dioxide

What would future explorers notice about species in the fossil record?

• A gradual increase in species diversity

• A sudden global spread of certain species

• No change in species distribution

• A decrease in plant fossils

What significant event in 1945 left a distinct radioactive signature on Earth?

• The first moon landing

• The invention of the internet

• The detonation of the first atomic bomb

• The discovery of penicillin

What is the significance of July 16, 1945, in Earth's history?

• The first human in space

• The start of the Industrial Revolution

• The detonation of the first atomic bomb

• The discovery of electricity