Is the anthropocene a formal unit of geologic time scale?

Finney and Edwards use this opportunity to explain to the general geoscience audience the criteria for stratigraphic units within the International Stratigraphic Guide, and how decisions are made to define new units or change existing units.

As such, this informative article provides general geologic information that goes beyond the hot topic itself. In the article's conclusion, the authors do not pronounce judgment on whether a new Anthropocene epoch should be created, but rather encourage the geologic community to educate themselves on how stratigraphic units are defined and then contribute to the ongoing discussion.