plastiglomerate

[Ben Zimmer]

Possible WOTY candidate?

http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/24/6/article/i1052-5173-24-6-4.htm
"Here, we report the appearance of a new 'stone' formed through
intermingling of melted plastic, beach sediment, basaltic lava
fragments, and organic debris from Kamilo Beach on the island of
Hawaii. The material, herein referred to as 'plastiglomerate,' is
divided into in situ and clastic types that were distributed over all
areas of the beach."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/science/earth/future-fossils-plastic-stone.html
"Now researchers have discovered an unexpected way that some plastic
waste is persisting: as a new type of stone. The substance, called
plastiglomerate, is a fusion of natural and manufactured materials.
Melted plastic binds together sand, shells, pebbles, basalt, coral and
wood, or seeps into the cavities of larger rocks to form a
rock-plastic hybrid."

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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