Discovery that scared scientists on a remote island with almost no people

A disturbing sign of human influence has been discovered on one of the most isolated places on Earth, Trindade Island, which is located more than a thousand kilometres off the coast of Brazil. Scientists have found stones on the volcanic island formed from plastic waste floating in the ocean.

This is stated in a study by geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos, as reported by Phys. The scientist believes that her discovery is a direct indication that the Anthropocene, an informal era during which human activity began to play an important role in the Earth's ecosystem, is still ongoing.

Santos first came across the plastic stones in 2019 when she was conducting geological research in Trindade. At the time, she was working in a nature reserve known as Turtle Beach, the world's largest breeding ground for the endangered green turtle. During her research, she noticed a large outcrop of amazing-looking blue-green rocks.

The geologist took samples of these rocks back to her laboratory on the continent, where they were analysed. As it turned out, it was a new type of geological formation that combines the materials that the Earth has used to form rocks for billions of years with a new ingredient - plastic waste.

"We concluded that humans are now acting as a geological agent, influencing processes that were previously completely natural, such as rock formation," Santos said.

According to her, this fits in with the idea of the Anthropocene, which scientists are talking about a lot these days.

"This type of stone-like plastic will be preserved in the geological record and will mark the Anthropocene," the scientist believes.

She admitted that the discovery alarmed and upset her. The reason for this is that the isolation of Trindadi Island has turned it into a haven for various species - seabirds, fish that are found only there, almost extinct crabs and a green turtle.

In addition to the animals, the island is home to about 30 people who are members of a small military base and research center.

"So it was even more horrifying to find something like this - and on one of the most ecologically important beaches," Santos admitted.

The geologist suggests that as the rocks decay, they will leach microplastics into the environment and further pollute the environment.

The main ingredient in the rocks Santos discovered was the remains of fishing nets. According to her, ocean currents have also brought large amounts of bottles, household waste, and other debris from around the world to the island.

According to her, Trindade is "the most pristine place I have ever seen".

"How vulnerable it is to the garbage that pollutes our oceans shows how widespread this problem is around the world," the scientist concluded.

During her research, Santos also discovered that similar stones have been found in Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Hawaii since 2014. But Trindade Island is the most remote place on the planet where they have been found so far.

Previously OBOZREVATEL told about the scientists who discovered minerals unknown to mankind in the 17-ton meteorite.

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