TRINDADE ISLAND, Brazil, March 15 (Reuters) – The geology of Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island has actually captivated researchers for many years, however the discovery of rocks made from plastic particles in this remote turtle haven is stimulating alarm.
Melted plastic has actually ended up being linked with rocks on the island, situated 1,140 km (708 miles) from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, which scientists state is proof of people’ growing impact over the earth’s geological cycles.
” This is brand-new and scary at the exact same time, since contamination has actually reached geology,” stated Fernanda Avelar Santos, a geologist at the Federal University of Parana.
Santos and her group ran chemical tests to discover what type of plastics remain in the rocks called “plastiglomerates” due to the fact that they are made from a mix of sedimentary granules and other particles held together by plastic.
” We recognized (the contamination) generally originates from fishing internet, which is extremely typical particles on Trinidade Island’s beaches,” Santos stated. “The (internet) are dragged by the marine currents and build up on the beach. When the temperature level increases, this plastic melts and ends up being ingrained with the beach’s natural product.”
[1/6]” Plastic rocks” discovered on Trindade Island in the state of Espirito Santo is seen at the lab of the Federal University of Parana, in Curitiba, state of Parana, Brazil March 7,2023 REUTERS/Rodolfo Buhrer
Trindade Island is among the world’s crucial preservation areas for green turtles, or Chelonia mydas, with thousands showing up each year to lay their eggs. The only human residents on Trindade are members of the Brazilian navy, which preserves a base upon the island and safeguards the nesting turtles.
” The location where we discovered these samples (of plastic) is a completely maintained location in Brazil, near the location green turtles lay their eggs,” Santos stated.
The discovery stirs concerns about people’ tradition on the earth, states Santos.
” We talk a lot about the Anthropocene, and this is it,” Santos stated, describing a proposed geological date specified by human beings’ effect on the world’s geology and communities.
” The contamination, the trash in the sea and the plastic discarded improperly in the oceans is ending up being geological product … protected in the earth’s geological records.”
Reporting by Sergio Queiroz for Reuters Television; Composing by Steven Grattan; Modifying by Sonali Paul
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