Which synthetic material, invented in the early 20th century, is so
Chapter 1

The golden spike debate

Chapter 2

The era of technofossils

Chapter 3

The great acceleration

Chapter 4

Designing the future

YOUR GOAL

Master of How humans rewrote Earth's rock history

Ch 2 · The era of technofossils
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007skaty Melted plastic debris creates new synthetic rocks called plastiglomerates.

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007skaty The Era of Technofossils

The things we leave behind within the layers of the stone Now outnumber every living species that is known

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Our most temporary conveniences leave our most permanent marks.

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007skaty The rise of human-made technofossils on Earth

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Plastiglomerates and synthetic rocks

007skaty First described in 2014 on Hawaii's Kamilo Beach, plastiglomerates form when heat fuses plastic waste with basalt, coral,

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The chicken bone phenomenon

007skaty A fashion model poses elegantly with polished chicken bones under dramatic studio lights.

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The era of technofossils
BETA

007skaty Sort everyday objects into rock layers to discover how our technology becomes future fossils.

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Fun Fact

Chicken bones: The bones of the modern broiler chicken are so physically distinct from wild birds that they will be a primary fossil marker of our era.

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Glossary
technofossil (noun)
A human-made object or material that persists in the environment and becomes part of the geological record. The project documents such technofossils accumulating at the massive Dandora landfill in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Gossip

Which human object will be the most embarrassing future fossil?

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Quiz

How do modern landfill sites act like geological formations?

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007skaty Human construction is leaving a permanent layer of concrete in Earth's crust.

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Quiz

What is a 'plastiglomerate,' a new type of stone first identified on beaches in Hawaii?

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Quiz

Which of the following is considered a human-made 'mineral' because it is a crystalline substance created solely through human industrial activity?

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Quiz

Approximately how much concrete have humans manufactured, creating a massive artificial rock layer across the globe?

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Quiz

What term do geologists use to describe human-made artifacts, like plastics and electronics, that will be preserved in the fossil record?

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Quiz

Which synthetic material, invented in the early 20th century, is so durable that its microscopic particles are now found in sediment from the deepest ocean trenches?

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Quiz

Why do scientists predict that future paleontologists will find billions of fossilized broiler chicken bones from our era?

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Quiz

What are 'spheroidal carbonaceous particles,' which are found globally in mid-20th-century lake sediments?

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