Human activities that affect relief Earth is 4.55 billion (4 550 000 000) years old . Homo sapiens appeared about 200 000 years ago. In the last 200 years, people have changed the Earth’s surface much more quickly than any other process in histor y. Neolithic Revolution. When people began livestock and crop farming, they started to transform and "domesticate" nature on a large scale. For this reason , some scientists have, controversially, proposed a new geological age, the Anthropocene. It is the era of human impact on the planet. Industrial Revolution. The last two centuries, approximately, have seen the greatest transformation of the planet. People have transformed the face of the Earth by changing the composition of the atmosphere and the global climate. 1 Destruction of original landforms: – Extraction of rocks and minerals – Construction of large structures and communication infrastructure Changes in land use: – Construction of urban and industrial areas – Agricultural and livestock activities Total or partial destruction of native vegetation : Deforestation caused by replacing forests with crops Creation of new landforms: Landfills from cities and industries Coastal inter ventions: Modification of coastal currents due to the construction of ports, housing developments and breakwaters Alteration of the water cycle: – Creation of diversion channels and reser voirs – Overexploitation of groundwater 29
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