Geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos discovered a new kind of geological formation on Trindade island, a remote volcanic outcrop off the coast of Brazil where the only human presence on the island is a small Brazilian military base and a scientific research center.
She found rocks formed from plastic pollution floating in the ocean while researching geological risks. Santos and her team identified the specimens as a new kind of geological formation, merging the materials and processes the Earth has used to form rocks for billions of years with a new ingredient: plastic trash. The new type of rock-like plastic will be preserved in the geological record and mark the Anthropocene.
Santos and her team found that the main ingredient in the rocks was remnants of fishing nets. But ocean currents have also swept an abundance of bottles, household waste, and other plastic trash from around the world to the island. Santos plans to make the topic her main research focus, and she hopes to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of the plastic pollution problem worldwide.