Plastistones: Rocks formed from plastic pollution a ‘terrifying’ find

The main component in the plastistones geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos took from Trindade Island was found to be remnants of fishing nets. - AFP

SINGAPORE: In yet another monument to humanity’s devastating impact on the environment, naturally formed rocks fused with plastic debris and other pollutants have been found all over the world.

The peculiar-looking, blue-green “plastistones” are composites formed when materials such as heavy metals, organic solvents and microplastic debris are fused into, or adhere to, the surface of sedimentary rocks.