[ti:Brazilian Researchers Find 'Terrifying' Plastic Rocks on Distant Island] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Geology is the study of rocks, soil, [00:04.32]and the physical structure of the Earth. [00:07.88]The geology of Brazil's volcanic Trindade Island, [00:13.20]a home for turtles, is causing concern [00:17.20]due to the presence of rocks made from leftover plastic. [00:22.92]The island is about 1,140 km [00:28.32]from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo. [00:33.00]Researchers say the discovery of melted plastic [00:37.68]mixed with rocks on the island is evidence of humans' [00:42.44]growing influence over the earth's geological movements. [00:48.32]"This is new and terrifying at the same time, [00:52.64]because pollution has reached geology," [00:56.00]said Fernanda Avelar Santos. [00:59.64]She is a geologist at the Federal University of Parana. [01:05.08]Santos and her team ran chemical tests [01:09.12]to find out what kind of plastics [01:12.92]are in the rocks called "plastiglomerates." [01:17.44]They are called "plastiglomerates" [01:20.64]because they are made up of small parts of rock [01:24.32]and other materials and it is held together by plastic. [01:29.88]Santos said they identified the pollution [01:33.96]as mainly coming from fishing gear, [01:37.52]which is a very common waste on the coast of Trinidade Island. [01:43.36]She said the gear is pulled by sea currents [01:47.48]and gathers on the beach. [01:49.92]When the temperature rises, the plastic melts [01:54.28]and becomes mixed with the beach's natural material. [01:58.96]Trindade Island is one of the world's most important [02:04.28]conservation areas for green turtles, or Chelonia mydas. [02:10.96]Thousands arrive each year to lay their eggs. [02:15.44]The only humans that live on Trindade [02:18.80]are members of the Brazilian navy. [02:21.80]It keeps a base on the island and protects the turtles. [02:27.00]"The place where we found these samples (of plastic) [02:31.12]is a permanently preserved area in Brazil, [02:35.08]near the place green turtles lay their eggs," Santos said. [02:40.76]Santos said the discovery raises questions [02:44.56]about the effect humans have had on the earth. [02:48.52]"We talk so much about the Anthropocene, and this is it," Santos said. [02:55.28]The Anthropocene is a proposed geological period [02:59.76]in which human activities have had a very important effect [03:05.08]on the earth's environment and climate. [03:08.80]She said the pollution, the waste in the sea, [03:12.84]and plastic incorrectly thrown out in the oceans [03:17.40]are becoming geological material [03:20.92]"... preserved in the earth's records." [03:24.16]I'm Gregory Stachel. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM