Despite being one of the most inaccessible and isolated places on the planet, , located 745 miles off the coast of Brazil, is undergoing devastating, geological changes thanks to humans.
Plastic and microplastic waste carried by sea currents over the years has accumulated along the shores, beaches and reefs of this once pristine island in the Atlantic Ocean, with plastic penetrating the geology of the rocks.
Geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos analyzed the plastic in samples from volcanic outcrop. Inside the rocks, the team discovered the intrusion of plastic, amid the mineral components usually found in rocks.
A sobering statement from the Geologist: "We concluded that humans are now geological agents, impacting processes that were previously completely natural, such as rock formation.
This type of plastic waste in rock formations will go into the record as a symbol of the Anthropocene, a concept of a geological era in which humans have an influence on nature."
Weather & Radar USA editorial team