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The case for a lunar anthropocene

Human exploration of the Solar System began on the Moon during the space race of the mid-twentieth century. To facilitate documentation and study of the human influence on the Moon, we argue it is time to designate a ‘Lunar Anthropocene’.

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Fig. 1: The geologic timescale for the Moon.
Fig. 2: Examples of archaeological artifacts and features on the Moon.

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Acknowledgements

We thank H. Erftenbeck, B. O’Leary, C. Runnels, D. Stewart, H. Beran and M. Niquette for helpful discussions.

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Correspondence to Justin Allen Holcomb.

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Holcomb, J.A., Mandel, R.D. & Wegmann, K.W. The case for a lunar anthropocene. Nat. Geosci. 17, 2–4 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01347-4

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