technofossil

Fossils are the bread and butter of archeology.  The remains of plants and animals of past epochs

can tell a story about life on Earth in previous times.  The creatures that existed then will have disappeared but their bones may still endure in the ground for palaeontologists to discover.

Archeologists of the future, when they come to examine life on Earth in the Anthropocene, may also discover the products of technology which never break down.  Plastics will last forever.  So will glass and pipes and metal construction materials.  These items are mass-produced so they are everywhere. They will be the geological signature of the Anthropocene.

The term was coined in 2014 by geologists at the University of Leicester in the UK.  Google Ngram shows a steep climb in frequency since then.