Currently, we are in the Holocene epoch, in the Quaternary period. There has been some efforts to create a new geological epoch, called the Anthropocene, due to the effects of humans on Earth's geology and ecology. Various starting dates for the Anthropocene have been suggested, but one of the more popular starting dates is July 16, 1945 -- the date of the Trinity test, the first detonation of a nuclear device -- due to the radioactive isotopes left in the soil and the glassy green rock, trinite, that was produced by the explosion. However, the Anthropocene has not yet been accepted as an official geological epoch, and it remains controversial among geologists -- geological epoches often span tens of millions of years and are labeled based on changes in the composition of the geological strata, so it is unclear whether the effects of human activity on Earth's geology have been noticeable enough to warrent a new geological epoch.
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