Plastic Rocks Dubbed "Plastiglomerates" Found in Remote Brazil Island Where Green Turtles Lay Their Eggs

The discovery of plastic rocks, or "plastiglomerates," in a secluded Brazilian island where green turtles are known to lay their eggs horrifies scientists.

Geologists on Brazil's remote Trindade Island, which is more than 700 miles from land, made the horrifying discovery of rocks made from plastic debris. The plastic rocks are proof of how human pollution has now affected Earth's geological cycles.

Plastiglomerates: Plastic Rocks

When rock fragments, debris, sand grains, and other organic materials are fused together with once-molten plastic, plastiglomerates are formed, which are more commonly known as plastic rocks. The geology team found that melted plastic had become entwined with the rocks on the volcanic island, forming what they call "plastiglomerates."

According to Fernanda Avelar Santos, a Federal University of Parana geologist, pollution, marine trash, and improperly disposed plastic in the oceans are turning into geological material that is recorded in the earth's geological history.

On a section of Trindade Island that has been set aside permanently so that green turtles can deposit their eggs there, plastic rocks have been discovered. In actuality, the island is home to just Brazilian Navy personnel who are there to guard turtle nests.

Santos claimed that they had determined that the majority of the contamination on Trindade Island's beaches originates from fishing nets. This plastic melts as the temperature rises and mixes with the organic stuff of the beach.

Marine life and the ecosystem of the ocean are being threatened by fishing nets and other fishing equipment. In actuality, misplaced fishing gear accounts for an estimated a hundred million pounds of plastic entering the ocean annually.

Anthropocene Epoch

Plastiglomerates could indicate that the Earth is about to enter the Anthropocene epoch, a new geological period in which people are having a major and enduring impact on the environment.

Plastics and plastiglomerates may very easily survive as future fossils, according to Jan Zalasiewicz, a University of Leicester geologist. Plastics could remain for millions of years on Earth if they are buried behind layers of rock.

These human influences have materialized at a pace and scope that have never before been seen, especially in the last 60 years. The Great Acceleration is another name for this time frame.

There are several indicators that we have profoundly altered our planet, including carbon dioxide emissions, ocean acidification, global warming, habitat destruction, extinction, and extensive natural resource extraction.

Not everyone concurs that these changes provide sufficient proof to name the Anthropocene as a new formal geological epoch. There is still controversy among scientists everywhere.

The planet's climate is becoming less stable and it is quickly warming. The majority of scientists now concur that rapid global warming is primarily due to human activity rather than any natural advancement. Earth has seen incredible change as a result of agriculture, urbanization, deforestation, and pollution.