From Guy Cox, St Albans, New South Wales, Australia
Jeffrey Harte suggests that a stratum of “plastiglomerate” might geologically delineate the Anthropocene – or as I prefer to call it, the Plasticene – epoch (Letters, 8 September). Plastic persists long enough to cause havoc in our oceans, but it will not withstand geological heat and pressure on geological timescales.
Plastics are mostly carbon and hydrogen, and ultimately could be converted into coal and oil. Maybe a new civilisation millions of years hence will mine these and start the whole cycle over again.
