SYNTHETIC SEDIMENT by SILVIA NORONHA

Since its first formal description in 2014, geological research has increasingly documented the emergence of a new anthropogenic rock type known as plasticglomerate, formed through the fusion of plastic debris with natural materials such as sand, shells, and volcanic rock. These formations typically occur in coastal environments where heat sources, including campfires, industrial activity, or volcanic processes, melt plastic waste, enabling it to bind with surrounding sediments.

Plasticglomerates constitute compelling evidence of human impact on geological processes, serving as a potential marker of a new geological era. The concept of this era—often referred to as the Anthropocene—has been primarily developed and institutionalized by scientists and geologists mainly from the Global North, whose frameworks of interpretation are deeply rooted in Western scientific traditions. This perspective, while valuable, has been critiqued for its Eurocentric and technocratic bias, often overlooking the asymmetric distribution of environmental degradation and the diverse ways communities in the Global South experience and interpret planetary transformations. The heterogeneous composition and widespread distribution of plasticglomerates highlight the incorporation of synthetic materials into the Earth's lithosphere. As products of both pollution and geological transformation, plasticglomerates challenge traditional definitions of rocks and provide valuable insights into the long-term environmental consequences of plastic contamination.

To date, no official records exist of plasticglomerate formations in polar regions or in environments where temperatures remain consistently below 0 °C. The extreme climatic conditions of these areas, characterized by minimal human activity, low thermal energy availability, and slow sedimentary dynamics, pose significant constraints on the thermal fusion processes necessary for plastic conglomeration.

In January 2025, the artist and researcher of anthropogenic soils Sílvia Noronha joined an expedition to the far northern regions of Europe, aiming to investigate the potential occurrence of such anthropogenic lithologies beyond their known climatic range.
The expedition’s findings, documented in a filmic narrative, explore speculative explanations for the emergence of these materials in sub-zero environments. Among the hypotheses considered are the influence of localized geothermal anomalies, frictional heating from glacial movements, or chemical processes driven by saline infiltration and freeze–thaw cycles that may mimic thermal lithification. Although these interpretations remain unverified, they invite discussion on the plastic adaptability of synthetic polymers within extreme geochemical contexts and the possible expansion of anthropogenic sedimentary processes into regions previously thought to be geologically insulated from human influence.T his convergence of artistic observation and geoscientific inquiry underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches in understanding emerging materials like plasticglomerates, which blur the boundaries between natural and artificial lithogenesis.

Silvia Noronha is a visual artist and an anthropogenic soils researcher  based in Berlin. Her practice moves between speculative geology and potent encounters with material agency through participatory and collaborative processes. Engaging in pseudo-alchemical and scientific methods, Incorporating a wide variety of soil components, including earth, clay, glass, electronic waste and plastic,she transforms matter under high temperatures as a way to investigate anthropogenic soils, activate and move energies, and fabulate alternative temporalities.