This small lake in Canada could hold markers of the next geological era. Here's what's at the bottom

A small lake in southern Ontario has caught the eyes of scientists due to the history of the soil found at its bottom.

A small lake in southern Ontario is catching the eye of geologists worldwide who say it could offer clues to the world's current geological era.

Crawford Lake, located just outside of Milton, Ont., is named as one of the possible birthplaces of the "Golden Spike", which marks humanity's impact on the Earth and the next geological era scientists call "Anthropocene."

Crawford has a significant depth of 24 metres, but has a small surface area, so the soils at the bottom of the clear lake never mix, allowing researchers to see visible differences in samples.

"You get these undisturbed layers, very much like if you were to cut down a tree or look at a tree stump you see these concentric rings," Michael Pisaric, professor of geography at Brock University, told CTV's Your Morning on Monday.

But unlike rings on a tree that tell the age, the sediment found in Crawford Lake shows history.

"What we have been able to find at the bottom of Crawford Lake is a number of different indicators that clearly show that humans are having an impact on the environment, as well as on climate systems," Pisaric said.