Moon in New Epoch Say Geologists, Who Fear 'Massive Damage' by Humanity

Human influence on the moon has become so great that a team of scientists have declared a new geological epoch for our satellite, naming it the "Lunar Anthropocene."

In a comment piece published in the journal Nature Geoscience, a group of anthropologists and geologists argue that for the past six decades or so, humans have become the dominant force shaping the moon's environment, warranting the naming of the new epoch.

They contend that the Lunar Anthropocene may have begun in 1959 when humans first disturbed the moon's surface. On September 13 of that year, the Soviet Union's unmanned spacecraft Luna 2 touched down on our satellite, marking the the beginning of the era of lunar exploration.

In the decades since, more than a hundred spacecraft, both crewed and uncrewed, have either landed on the moon or crashed into it.

Among the most famous spacecraft to reach the moon were NASA's Apollo Lunar Modules, including the Apollo 11 mission, which resulted in Neil Armstrong becoming the first person to step foot on our satellite's surface on July 21, 1969.

A number of planned missions and projects expected to materialize in the coming years will likely transform the surface of the moon in even more dramatic ways—another reason why the scientists declared the new geological epoch.

The idea put forward in the Nature Geoscience comment article is similar to the discussion of the "Anthropocene"—a proposed geological epoch on Earth used to describe the most recent period in our planet's history when humans began to have a significant impact on its climate and ecosystems.

"The consensus is on Earth the Anthropocene began at some point in the past, whether hundreds of thousands of years ago or in the 1950s," Justin Holcomb, a postdoctoral researcher with the Kansas Geological Survey at Kansas University and lead author of the study, said in a press release.

"Similarly, on the moon, we argue the Lunar Anthropocene already has commenced, but we want to prevent massive damage or a delay of its recognition until we can measure a significant lunar halo caused by human activities, which would be too late."

The researchers hope that proposing the Lunar Anthropocene concept might help to challenge preconceptions that the moon is an unchanging environment, barely impacted by humanity.

"Cultural processes are starting to outstrip the natural background of geological processes on the moon," Holcomb said. "These processes involve moving sediments, which we refer to as 'regolith,' on the moon. Typically, these processes include meteoroid impacts and mass movement events, among others. However, when we consider the impact of rovers, landers and human movement, they significantly disturb the regolith."

"In the context of the new space race, the lunar landscape will be entirely different in 50 years," Holcomb said. "Multiple countries will be present, leading to numerous challenges. Our goal is to dispel the lunar-static myth and emphasize the importance of our impact, not only in the past but ongoing and in the future. We aim to initiate discussions about our impact on the lunar surface before it's too late."

The authors point out that there do not seem to be any "Leave No Trace" principles applied to the moon, as have been promoted on Earth. These principles are a set of ethics promoting the conservation of the outdoors on our planet, including the idea of disposing of all waste properly.

But refuse left behind on the moon from human missions includes discarded and abandoned spacecraft components, bags of human excreta, scientific equipment, and other objects, such as flags, golf balls, photographs and religious texts, among others.

And while the moon only has a very thin and tenuous atmosphere, known as an exosphere, composed of dust and gas, which is susceptible to exhaust gases, according to the authors.

"Future missions must consider mitigating deleterious effects on lunar environments," the authors said.

Holcomb told Newsweek that he and his colleagues are hoping the latest paper achieves three main objectives. The first is to draw attention to the fact that we should consider our impact on the lunar surface as the new space race continues. This includes impacts to sites on the moon of potential historic significance, such as the first footprints from the Apollo 11 mission or the Luna 2 site, but also our potential impact on lunar ice and the moon's exosphere.

"There have been at least six accidental crashes into the lunar surface since 2019—these will only increase as the new space race heats up and they pose a real risk to space heritage sites," Holcomb said.

He said the researchers hope the paper will help facilitate international discussions about effective ways to ensure the protection of historic sites. They also hope it can convince other scientists in related social science and humanities fields to contribute to ongoing discussions about the impact of the new space race.

"The goal of this paper was essentially to raise the hypotheses for a Lunar Anthropocene," Holcomb said. "We hope that scientists, whether they agree or disagree, at least discuss the hypothesis, which will in turn mean they are discussing human impact on the moon—something that is seldom considered."

Update 12/13/23, 7:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Justin Holcomb.

Update 12/08/23, 5:59 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information from the Nature Geoscience article.