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First evidence of plastistone, a novel plastic rock composite, from the Maharashtra coast of India
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Researchers identified the first plastistone—a plastic-rock composite fused with microplastics, barnacles, and shells—on the Maharashtra coast of India, with polymers traced to discarded fishing gear. This discovery documents a new geological marker of plastic pollution and underscores the need to include plastistone formations in coastal ecological health monitoring.
The excessive usage of plastics has resulted in serious environmental challenges along with evidences of distinct imprint on Earth’s geological record. In this study, a plastic-rock formation- plastistone has been identified for the first time from west coast of India in the state of Maharashtra. A plastistone sample was collected from the coastal rocky shore of Diveagar beach and analyzed using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The identified plastistone also contained integrated microplastics along with a substantial portion of biogenic materials, such as barnacles, shells of molluscs, and foraminifera. The plastic materials identified in the plastistone were polyamide (nylon 6), polypropylene, polyethylene, and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) based on Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) and Micro-Raman spectroscopy. The source of these plastic materials was identified as fishing gear thereby highlighting concern about plastic waste generated from discarded fishing gears. The findings provide the first evidence of plastistone formations along the Maharashtra coast and emphasize the need to incorporate occurrence of such plastic-rock composites as part of coastal ecological health monitoring protocols.
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This study reports the first occurrence of plastiglomerates and plastistones on the Brazilian continental shoreline and the first record in a coastal lagoon ecosystem worldwide, identified using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging. The findings confirm that human plastic pollution is becoming permanently integrated into geological sedimentary records.
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Plasticrusts, plastiglomerates, and pyroplastics are newly identified forms of plastic that have fused with rocks, sand, or other natural materials along marine coastlines worldwide. These novel plastic forms are created through weathering, burning, and melting processes and represent a largely unstudied pathway for microplastic generation. Their discovery shows that plastic pollution is transforming coastal environments in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.