Guwahati, Sept 18: A prominent American paleoclimatologist has called for the Meghalayan Age, a subdivision of Earth’s recent history formally named after Meghalaya, to be scrapped from the official geological time scale.
In a new paper published in the Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zasshi), Prof. Raymond S.Bradley of the University of Massachusetts Amherst argues that the evidence used to define the Meghalayan Age is too weak to justify its global status.
The Meghalayan was ratified in 2018 by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), a body of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). It marked the most recent stage of the Holocene Epoch, beginning around 4,200 years ago, and was based on stalagmite records from Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya. The decision drew wide attention in India, with Meghalaya celebrated as the “birthplace” of a new slice of Earth’s timeline. The state government and scientists at the time hailed it as a matter of pride, projecting Meghalaya’s caves on to the global scientific stage.
Bradley, however, says the science does not hold up. “As outlined in the paper, the evidence is not strong enough,” he said. “For a new stage boundary to be valid, the change must be clear and widespread. That is simply not the case for 4.2 ka.”
The Meghalayan was linked to a supposed global drought that disrupted civilizations across the Middle East and beyond. But according to Bradley, the data only shows regional climate anomalies, not a globally coherent shift.
“There would not be any stage boundary, because there was nothing that can be defined with global significance,” he explained.
The scientist also stressed that while the location in Meghalaya gave the naming symbolic importance, the real issue is scientific.
“I did not see any cultural significance, though of course that may be so in Meghalaya,” Bradley noted.
Bradley says his motivation was simple: to revisit what he sees as an unsupported decision.“I found the argument was unreasonable and not supported by the facts. I had no role in the original decision,” he said.
He hopes the paper will encourage wider debate among geoscientists. “I hope my paper will lead to a wider discussion,” he added.
The call to scrap the Meghalayan comes at a time when the scientific community remains divided over another contentious issue: the proposed Anthropocene Epoch, defined by humanity’s impact on Earth. Bradley, however, does not see the two debates as directly connected.
“That’s a different topic and not relevant for the validity of the 4.2 ka stage boundary,” he clarified.
For the wider public, the debate may feel distant.“I am not sure if it matters outside the scientific community,” Bradley admitted.
Still, within geology, the implications are significant. Subdivisions of the Holocene form part of the global geological timescale, the reference framework used by scientists and educators worldwide. If Bradley’s call gains traction, Meghalaya’s unique place in that timeline may be reconsidered — and possibly erased.
