Tectonic processes release carbon into the atmosphere at oceanic ridges, where two plates move away from each other, allowing magma to rise to the surface and create a new oceanic crust.
At the same time, in the ocean trenches, where two plates converge, the plates are thrown down and recycled back to the deep Earth. On their way down they transport carbon back into the Earth’s interior, but they also release some CO₂ through volcanic activity.
The Earth’s tectonic carbon conveyor belt transports massive amounts of carbon between the Earth’s depths and the surface, from oceanic ridges to subduction zones, where oceanic plates carrying sediments from the deep sea are recycled from new inside the Earth. The processes involved play a key role in the Earth’s climate and habitability.
Our model shows that the climate of the Cretaceous greenhouse was caused by very fast-moving tectonic plates, which drastically increased CO₂ emissions from ocean ridges.
In the transition to Cenozoic ice, the movement of climate tectonic plates slowed and volcanic CO₂ emissions began to decline. But to our surprise, we discovered a more complex mechanism hidden in the conveyor belt system that involved building mountains, continental erosion, and burying remnants of microscopic organisms on the seabed.