Y'ALL HEARD OF MICROPLASTICS?!
WELL, GET READY FOR GEOPLASTICS!
Geologists in Brazilâs Trindade Island have made a âterrifyingâ discovery: rocks made from plastic debris.
By the latest estimate, more than 170 trillion pieces are floating in the worldâs oceans, according to new analysis from the 5 Gyres Institute. Everyday, around 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into our oceans. The amount of plastic trash that flows into the oceans every year is expected to nearly triple by 2040, and there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Meanwhile, a 2022 OECD report found that production of plastic has doubled worldwide in the last 20 years, with only 9 per cent successfully recycled.
Scientists studying the remote island â which is a turtle refuge â found that plastic has become intertwined with rocks on the island, sparking alarms over the growing impact of plastic waste over the earthâs geological cycles. The island is located 1,140km from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo and it is a protected area for green turtles, which lay their eggs there.
âThis is new and terrifying at the same time, because pollution has reached geology,â Fernanda Avelar Santos, a geologist at the Federal University of Parana, said,
Mr Santos went on to say that âthe pollution, the garbage in the sea, and the plastic dumped incorrectly in the oceans is becoming geological material...preserved in the earthâs geological recordsâ.
The geology of Brazilâs volcanic Trindade Island has fascinated scientists for years. The island is mostly uninhabited and isolated from human influence, but the growing amount of plastic waste has found its way.
âWe identified (the pollution) mainly comes from fishing nets, which is very common debris on Trinidade Islandâs beaches,â Mr Santos said.
âThe (nets) are dragged by the marine currents and accumulate on the beach. When the temperature rises, this plastic melts and becomes embedded with the beachâs natural material.â
Trindade Island is one of the worldâs most important conservation spots for green turtles, or Chelonia mydas, with thousands arriving each year to lay their eggs.
The only human inhabitants on Trindade are members of the Brazilian navy, which maintains a base on the island and protects the nesting turtles.The discovery stirs questions about humansâ legacy on the earth, said Mr Santos.
âWe talk so much about the Anthropocene, and this is it,â he said, referring to a proposed geological epoch defined by humansâ impact on the planetâs geology and ecosystems.
âThe pollution, the garbage in the sea and the plastic dumped incorrectly in the oceans is becoming geological material ... preserved in the earthâs geological records.â

















