Geologists studying Trindade Island, a remote Brazilian island that serves as a turtle refuge, have made a shocking discovery: rocks made from plastic debris. The island, which is located 1,140km from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, is mostly uninhabited and isolated from human influence, but the growing amount of plastic waste has found its way to the island. The plastic has become intertwined with rocks on the island, sparking alarms over the growing impact of plastic waste over the earth’s geological cycles.
The discovery has raised concerns about the human legacy on the earth. The pollution, garbage in the sea, and plastic dumped incorrectly in the oceans is becoming geological material, preserved in the earth’s geological records. This is a new and terrifying discovery, as pollution has reached geology, says Fernanda Avelar Santos, a geologist at the Federal University of Parana.
The geology of Brazil‘s volcanic Trindade Island has fascinated scientists for years. The island is a protected area for green turtles, which lay their eggs there. Trindade Island is one of the world’s 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 plastic on the island is identified to mainly come from fishing nets, which is very common debris on Trindade Island’s beaches. The nets are dragged by the marine currents and accumulate on the beach. When the temperature rises, this plastic melts and becomes embedded with the beach’s natural material. The plastic debris forms rock analogues that are emerging from marine pollution. The sedimentological approach used to assess Trindade Island’s plastic debris is of great importance in understanding the impact of plastic waste on the geological cycles of the earth.
According to the latest estimate, more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic are floating in the world’s oceans. Every day, 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 fishes in the ocean. However, only 9% of plastic is successfully recycled, according to a 2022 OECD report.
This discovery stirs questions about humans’ legacy on the earth, referring to a proposed geological epoch defined by humans’ impact on the planet’s geology and ecosystems, known as the Anthropocene. The emergence of plastic rocks on Trindade Island is a clear indication that human activities have reached geological records. The discovery of plastic debris on Trindade Island highlights the urgent need for conservation measures to reduce the impact of plastic waste on the earth’s geological cycles.
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