Background
The above crop formation appeared in a farmer’s wheat field in Teton, Idaho on August 10, 2002.
A yellow material was found on the hand of the farmer’s son after reaching into the formation on August 15, 2002. The arrow on the photograph designates the location of the material. The goal is to identify this substance.
Conclusions
The substance is a man-made terpolymer composed of styrene, acrylonitrile, and butadiene monomeric units. It is commonly referred to as an “ABS” polymer. According to the chemical dictionary1 ABS resin is “Any of a group of tough, rigid thermoplastics deriving their name from the three letters of the monomers which produce them; Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene.
It has numerous uses such as: “engineering plastics used for automobile body parts and fittings; telephones; bottles; heels; luggage; packaging; refrigerator door liners; plastic pipe; building panels; shower stalls; boats; radiator grills; machinery housings; business machines.
Several trademark types are “Cycolac,” “Abson,” “Kralastic,” “Lustran.” There are others.
The Analysis
This post was published on October 19, 2016