The question of what “era” the world is currently in can be confusing because the word is used in both a scientific and a general sense. People searching for this answer are usually looking for the scientific classification geologists use to define deep time, which is organized into a specific hierarchy of units. The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) maintains the official, globally recognized scale that precisely defines the boundaries of Earth’s history.
The Officially Recognized Geological Timeframe
The official designation for the current stretch of geological time is the Holocene Epoch. The current Eon is the Phanerozoic, meaning “visible life,” which began over 541 million years ago with the proliferation of complex organisms. The next level is the Cenozoic Era, often called the “Age of Mammals,” which commenced approximately 66 million years ago following the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs.
The current Period is the Quaternary, which started about 2.58 million years ago and is characterized by major cycles of glaciation. The current Epoch is the Holocene, which began approximately 11,700 years before the year 2000 CE. The start of the Holocene was defined by the end of the last major glacial period, marking the shift into a warmer, relatively stable interglacial climate.
The International Union of Geological Sciences further subdivides the Holocene into three distinct Ages based on global climate shifts, the most recent of which is the Meghalayan Age. This Age began roughly 4,200 years ago and is defined by a significant, widespread drought and subsequent reorganization of global climate and human societies. The Holocene Epoch, therefore, represents the time in which human civilization developed entirely, facilitated by the stability of the climate.
How Geological Time is Categorized
Geologists structure Earth’s 4.54-billion-year history using the geological time scale, a chronological system that organizes stratigraphy, the study of rock layers. This system divides time into four primary units: Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs, from the largest to the smallest. Eons span billions or hundreds of millions of years and represent the most fundamental stages of Earth’s evolution.
Eras are the next division, lasting hundreds of millions of years, and are defined by major shifts in the fossil record, such as the appearance or disappearance of entire groups of organisms. Periods and Epochs represent progressively shorter intervals, often millions of years, and their boundaries are established by specific geological or paleontological events. For instance, the boundary between the Cretaceous Period and the Cenozoic Era is marked by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which is observable in rock layers globally.
The official boundaries between these units are defined by a specific, globally recognized location in a rock layer called a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). A GSSP acts as a physical marker, often showing a distinct change in chemical, magnetic, or fossil evidence within the sedimentary rock, corresponding to a major global change. The formal naming and ratification of these chronostratigraphic units is the responsibility of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS).
The Proposed Anthropocene Epoch
Despite the official classification as the Holocene, a significant scientific debate centers on the proposal to recognize a new, human-driven epoch called the Anthropocene. This term, which means “Age of Humans,” suggests that human activity has fundamentally altered Earth’s systems to the extent that it has created a permanent, globally synchronous geological signature in the rock record. Proponents argue that the scale of human impact is now equivalent to the natural forces that define past geological boundaries.
The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) has been reviewing evidence to formally propose this new epoch to the ICS. This evidence includes novel materials and changes that would be preserved for millions of years, creating a geological signature. These markers include:
- The widespread presence of concrete, aluminum, and plastics in sediment layers.
- The global distribution of fly ash from industrial combustion.
- The massive alteration of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles through fertilizer use.
- The distinct, globally detectable peak of radionuclides from mid-20th-century nuclear weapons testing.
A potential start date for the Anthropocene is often suggested around 1950, coinciding with the onset of the “Great Acceleration” of human population growth, industrialization, and resource consumption. The proposal has not yet been formally ratified due to scientific controversy and the rigorous requirements for defining a new epoch. Arguments persist about whether the human impact is globally synchronous and distinct enough to warrant ending the Holocene. Formalizing a new epoch requires a two-thirds majority vote through multiple committees of the ICS.
Non-Geological Definitions of Time
While the Holocene Epoch is the established scientific designation, the word “era” is also used widely in non-geological contexts to describe periods of cultural, technological, or social change. These frameworks are not bound by the physical evidence found in rock layers but instead focus on human-centric developments. Historians and sociologists frequently refer to the current time as the Post-Modern Era, characterized by skepticism, self-reference, and a breakdown of grand narratives in philosophy and art.
Technologists and economists often frame the present as the Information Age or the Digital Age. These terms describe a period where the creation, rapid distribution, and manipulation of information have become the central drivers of the global economy and daily life. Such classifications are useful for understanding human civilization and its trajectory, but they remain cultural or technological concepts.