Plastics in the Deep Time Record

A million years from now, the 21st century will likely be remembered for plastic more than anything else.

Rocky Planet iconRocky Planet
By Erik Klemetti
Jun 17, 2021 4:45 PMJun 17, 2021 4:43 PM
Microplastic on a beach
Microplastic on a beach. Credit: Ocean Blue Project, Wikimedia Commons.

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Plastics are everywhere. I mean everywhere. They have become so pervasive that they can be found on Mount Everest, in the Mariana Trench, orbiting our planet and within our bodies themselves. The last century is the Age of Plastic and thanks to its longevity, plastics will likely last in the geologic record of our planet longer than most any man-made substance. We will be remembered 100,000 years from now for our plastic and that deep time perspective of our planet is tailor made for Earth scientists to tackle.

Finding Your Way Through Time

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