In a matter of pride for every northeasterners, we are actually dwellers of the Meghalayan Age – the newest chapter in Earth’s history since the last 4,200 years.
The past 4,200 years have been officially classified as a new chapter in Earth’s history – the Meghalayan Age, stated a report in the Independent.
Scientists have created a new phase in Earth’s geological history and named it Meghalayan – after a stalagmite from a cave in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya that facilitated scientists to define climatic events some 4,200 years ago – a phase that began at that point of time and continuing still today.
Beginning with a global drought that had devastating consequences for ancient civilizations from Egypt to China, the new age is the most recent section of a longer period known as the Holocene Epoch, which reflects everything that has happened over the past 11,700 years, according to the Independent report.
The Meghalayan is unique because it is the first interval in Earth’s geological history that has coincided with a major cultural event, as agricultural societies struggled to recover from the shift in climate.
The reports stated that in a meeting held in June, the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) announced the new division in time, which will now appear on all official charts depicting Earth’s geological past.
The concept of the Meghalayan was first proposed seven years ago due to specific chemical signatures found in stalactites and stalagmites.