We’ve found that a new type of rock is forming from old slag heaps
A lot of slag in the goal, France
Caroline Vancoillie / Alamy
Almost 20 years ago, New scientist Directed a characteristic entitled “Imagine Earth Without People”, an experience of reflection on what would happen to our planet for thousands of years if humanity suddenly disappeared. It was an entertaining way of discussing all the impacts that our species had on the environment, without resorting to the crowd in hand. The main thing was that it would take a long time, but the damage would ultimately be reversed, barely leaving a trace of the existence of our civilization. “The humiliating reality – and a comforting pervert – is that the earth will forget us remarkably quickly,” concluded the room.
I remembered this when I read a recent research document in the review Geology, In which researchers at the University of Glasgow, in the United Kingdom, report the discovery of an overwhelming geological process, which suggests that, in fact, the earth will not forget us.
They studied the geology of Derwent Howe on the coast of Cumbria, in the United Kingdom. For about 125 years, from the 1850s, Derwent Howe was a large iron and steel manufacturing center. Its high stoves have generated huge quantities of waste called slag. All in all, around 27 million cubic meters of Fourni slag was placed in banks along a section of 2 kilometers of coastline. The slag bank is still there, although it is eroded by waves and tides.
When the Glasgow researchers went to the beach, they found a series of outcrops made from an unknown type of sedimentary rock. The beach was sandy, so the rock had to be a recent addition. It was clearly classic, which means that it was made up of fragments of other rocks and minerals (clastes) which were cemented together in layers. By looking at it, they found that the clastes were derived from the heap of slag. The only conclusion was that the material eroded from slag, was washed in the sea, placing itself on the shore and then quickly turning into rock.
And when I say quickly, I mean quickly. The formation of clasical rocks generally takes thousands or even millions of years. But here it has been happening for decades – a wink in geological terms. The dairy has been there in large quantities for about a century.
Rock on the Cumbrian Coastline Industrial waste turns to Rock in only decades, research reveals
University of Glasgow
Even more remarkable, the team found two artifacts firmly buried in the classic which prove to be incredibly rapid in rocky formation or lithification. One was a piece of Penny struck in 1934. The other was an aluminum ring ring from a drink that could not be over 36 years old. In other words, lithification occurs in the decades. The researchers propose that this is an entirely new geological process called “anthropoclastic rocky cycle”.
The researchers propose that this is an entirely new geological process, the “anthropoclastic rocky cycle”
“What is remarkable here is that we have found that these human manufacturing materials were incorporated into natural systems and becoming lithified during the decades,” said team leader Amanda Owen at the press office of the University of Glasgow. “This calls into question our understanding of how a rock is formed and suggests that the waste we produced in the creation of the modern world will have an irreversible impact on our future.”
As in Derwent Howe, all over the world. Similar rocks were discovered near Bilbao, Spain, in 2022, but could not be safe. According to the member of the David Brown team.
On the surface, this may seem like a problem, and indeed we do not yet know what the environmental impacts of these processes are. But maybe the discovery is good news. If industrial waste is locked in a solid rock, it is surely an interesting way to manage it without having to face it, right? The rocks of Derwent Howe also contained fragments of clothing, plastic, car tires and fiberglass, which litter the environment differently. Perhaps rapid lithification would be a good way to have our trash.
There is another research result. For decades, earth scientists have disagreed on the conception of a new geological era called anthropocene, to recognize that humans have replaced natural processes as the dominant influence on the earthly system. I am a great supporter of the concept because he underlines the extent of our disruption of natural processes which maintained the habitable and safe for people for millennia. Last year, however, the International Union of Geological Sciences voted not to accept the anthropocene due to a quarrel at the start.
It is surely the time to overthrow this decision. Our influence on the surface of the earth is literally established a new geology, from 175 years old. Future civilizations will be able to see and study it. If it is not a new geological era, then what is it?
Graham week
What I read
I listen to chapters, the anthology of the poet of comedy Tim Key, on the audio book.
What I look at
Wimbledon, the female euros and, later this month, the series of rugby tests of the British and Irish lions against Australia.
What do I work
My plot of vegetables. I am a beginner, so I learn of my mistakes. How do you know when a beet is ready to harvest?
Graham Lawton is the editor of the New Scientist and author of Must Not Grum: The Surprising Science of Everyday Haples. You can follow him @grahamlawton
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