The article explores the possibility of detecting traces of past industrial civilizations on Earth and discusses the potential impact on the geological record. It highlights the importance of understanding the likelihood of finding other intelligent civilizations in the universe and presents the concept of industrial civilizations as those capable of harnessing external energy sources at global scales. The article also discusses the limitations of the geological record in detecting evidence of past civilizations and proposes potential geochemical markers that could indicate the existence of pre-Quaternary industrial civilizations. The article emphasizes the need for further research in this area and its relevance to the Drake equation.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-astrobiology/article/silurian-hypothesis-would-it-be-possible-to-detect-an-industrial-civilization-in-the-geological-record/77818514AA6907750B8F4339F7C70EC6