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Is orogenesis a net sink or source of atmospheric CO 2 ?
Author(s) -
Skelton Alasdair
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
geology today
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.188
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1365-2451
pISSN - 0266-6979
DOI - 10.1111/gto.12009
Subject(s) - metamorphic rock , geology , earth science , weathering , geochemistry , carbon cycle , denudation , sink (geography) , silicate , carbon sink , tectonics , paleontology , climate change , chemistry , geography , biology , organic chemistry , ecology , oceanography , cartography , ecosystem
In global carbon cycle models, orogenesis is often viewed as a sink for atmospheric CO 2 , acting on tectonic timescales. However, recent attempts to quantify fluxes for CO 2 produced by metamorphic reactions and released to the atmosphere suggest that these are an order‐of‐magnitude greater than CO 2 uptake by chemical weathering of silicate minerals, and that metamorphic CO 2 is released on millennial timescales. These hypotheses have gained support from both measurements of CO 2 emissions from present‐day orogenic hot springs and chromatographic modelling of carbonation reactions in metamorphic rocks from ancient orogens. In this article I review research that attempts to quantify metamorphic CO 2 release fluxes, focussing specifically on studies conducted in the SW Scottish Highlands.