
A New Blend of Rock and Plastic Is Forming on a Portuguese Island - EndXA
https://earther.gizmodo.com/a-strange-new-blend-of-rock-and-plastic-is-forming-on-a-1835742900
======
EndXA
Original study:
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896971...](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719326919)

Abstract:

> Plastic debris is one of the most extensive pollution problems our planet is
> facing today and a particular concern for marine environment conservation.
> The dimension of the problem is so large that it is possible our current era
> will generate an anthropogenic marker horizon of plastic in earth's
> sedimentary record. Here we present a new type of plastic pollution, the
> ‘plasticrusts’, plastic debris encrusting the rocky surface, recently
> discovered in the intertidal rocky shores of a volcanic Atlantic island. The
> potential impact that these new ‘plasticrusts’ may have needs to be further
> explored, as e.g. potential ingestion by intertidal organisms could suppose
> a new pathway for entrance of plastics into marine food webs. Consequently,
> its inclusion as a potential new marine debris category in management and
> monitoring actions should be pondered.

~~~
JetSpiegel
The abstract mentions "a volcanic Atlantic island", so it's the Azores; some
of the authors are from there. Not sure why this was elided.

------
TactiFail
_The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it
will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a
self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be
renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet
will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic.
The earth doesn’t share our prejudice toward plastic. Plastic came out of the
earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children.
Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the
first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn’t know how to make it. Needed
us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, “Why
are we here?”_

 _“Plastic… asshole.”_ \-- George Carlin

------
badosu
I wonder if at any point, given the quantity of plastic available, organisms
will evolve to consume it as food since it would be an advantage.

~~~
itsbenweeks
I think this will definitely occur. In the same way that organisms could not
work with wood fiber's lignin during the carboniferous period, we're seeing it
play out in a plastic period of our own construction. The Earth will win, but
whether we will see that happen depends on all of us.

~~~
ASalazarMX
We just need to wait 300 million years and nature will adapt!

It would be cool seeing plastics things rot, though. We're used to them being
impervious.

~~~
core-questions
I think the coolness would wear off mighty quickly when your laptop starts to
rot

~~~
ip26
I've been wondering if wood or some kind of injection molded cellulose product
might make a comeback. Decomposing plastics would probably help spur that
along.

~~~
Someone
If we really hit the end of Moore’s law, I see manufacturers embracing this.
“No, that isn’t planned obsolescence; we try to be as green as possible”

------
botto
So I wonder how much of a backlash against plastic will bring about other
issues like bacteria.

Plastic has had a big advantage in ensure consumables and devices are clean
but granted the cost has been high in the sense of pollution.

Would there maybe be a middle ground like what happens with plastic bottles in
Germany and Norway where they give money back to the person who recycles the
bottle,can,glass bottle etc.

~~~
core-questions
We may see some grocery store chains lead the way with a uniform set of
washable recyclables that people can bring back for deposit money. This also
works well for city cleanliness, i.e. you seldom see a beer can sitting around
for long in any area with foot traffic, because there's always someone who
occupies the niche of bottle gatherer for deposit money.

~~~
botto
I have seen this in Germany, people usually scavenge the rubbish at airports
and stations for plastic bottles.

~~~
semi-extrinsic
I've also seen rubbish bins that have a special place where you put bottles,
so scavengers don't have to dig through all the other trash. It feels like a
very nice gesture.

------
empath75
I wonder how long the plastic would last on geologic time scales. I supposed
after enough pressure and heat it would turn back into oil?

~~~
antisemiotic
"To the left you will see a rock formation made of organic polymers. Recent
research shows that it might be a sedimentary layer left by a species of
sapient mammals..."

~~~
rmah
Wait what? Thinking meat? That's crazy talk!

~~~
antisemiotic
Please show some respect... do you know what that oxygen level would do to
your servos?

------
gnode
I find it interesting that the interpretation is that this is a tragedy,
rather than it being fortunate that a geological process is capturing plastic
into the lithosphere, where it will be removed from the biosphere.

~~~
scrumper
The point was that it isn't removing it from the biosphere - molluscs that
feed on algae-covered rock are now setting up on this plasticrust stuff and
consuming it along with the algae.

~~~
TomMarius
Why is that bad? Actual question - I'm a programmer, not a doctor (biologist
:-))

~~~
undersuit
The Gizmondo article provides two links to the observed effects of plastic in
the ecosystem in the paragraph where it's mentioned that the animal life
feeding near the Plasticrust maybe be consuming said plastic.

[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-...](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-
planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/)

[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-fish-to-
huma...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-fish-to-humans-a-
microplastic-invasion-may-be-taking-a-toll/)

~~~
TomMarius
Hmm now I'm confused. The articles you sent are about microplastics in fishes,
I thought the comment I replied to was about microbes which should (I really
don't know though) break the plastic down...?

Edit: Now I see that I have misread the comment and confused molluscs for
microbes.

------
seomis
It's a bit misleading/sensational to call this a "blend." Not that it's a good
thing, but plastic is merely sticking onto the surface of rocks.

------
ptah
this is not new, i think it is just that these researchers are naming it

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Maybe it's a new formal scientific observation as an entry for plastic in to
the food chain; or you have an early citation for it?

------
olalonde
Meta: is it just me or is there an unusually high amount of pollution/plastic
related articles on HN recently?

~~~
makerofspoons
There have been a number of major reports published in the last few months
that detail just how much environmental damage we have caused since
industrialization. I believe the uptick in articles is a result of people
becoming aware of the extent of the problem.

~~~
lelima
>>I believe the uptick in articles is a result of people becoming aware of the
extent of the problem.

Totally agreed, That encourage me to stop buying/using plastic bottles. Quite
challenging in Dublin where Everywhere you go water comes with plastic
bottles/glasses, Ireland #1 plastic generator in Europe per person 61kg/yr
[1].

[1]: [https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-plastic-
waste-3786393-Jan2...](https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-plastic-
waste-3786393-Jan2018/)

~~~
52-6F-62
I've been enjoying seeing the gradual proliferation of water-bottle refill
stations being installed by the city here in Toronto. They should be bloody
everywhere.

~~~
logfromblammo
I used to refill my stainless-steel canteen from faucets and drinking
fountains. The container was round, and the hole was on an edge of the
circular side, rather than poking out of the cylinder wall, so it could fit
almost anywhere that water was available, including a stream 15cm (6") across
and 5cm (2") deep (filtered with bandana, made potable by iodine). It even had
a canvas case, so that you could wet the outside with non-potable water to
swamp-cool the drinkable water inside.

Unfortunately, everything you can find close to the same form factor today is
shoddily constructed and near-worthless.

We wouldn't need water-bottle refill stations everywhere, if the water
containers themselves were more easily refilled. All the bottles are tall
cylinders. Where did all the short, wide cylinders go?

~~~
52-6F-62
There are a wide variety of taller bottle designs used. Nalgene-style plastic
bottles, blender bottles, and other flip-lid bottles are very popular here.
The new refill stations accommodate all of those.

I'm not sure I've ever seen the design you're referring to. And "canteen"
style bottles are impractically shaped for existing infrastructure like cup-
holders, etc. Maybe not crucial things, but definitely finicky.

The idea being keeping the barrier of entry as low as possible for people who
are otherwise probably more resistant to the conditions you outlined.

~~~
logfromblammo
It was probably constructed in the 1960s, as it originally belonged to my
father. Not a canteen-style bottle, but a bona-fide canteen. Imagine two pie
pans, one inverted over the other, and welded together at their rims, with the
cap hole drilled through the bottom of one pan. That's the basic shape. Smooth
out the edges to be more like spherical sections, and put the result in a
snap-shut canvas holder, with a shoulder strap.

You have likely never seen the shape I am referring to.

At some point, someone decided to move the caps to the cylindrical sides,
rather than keep them on one of the round faces, and then you couldn't fit the
thing under a bathroom sink faucet any more, and a drinking fountain needed a
bit more arc to fill it. Difficult fill locations might only fill those up
halfway. This was likely done to accommodate blow-molded plastic canteens, and
to manufacture from flat and rolled sheet metal, rather than pressed.

So now, even if you buy a "real" canteen, the cap is pointing in the wrong
direction, and you might as well just have a large, awkward bottle.

