ESS101C
Prof.
Jin-Yi Yu
Tectonic Control of CO2 Input – The Seafloor Spreading Rate
Hypothesis
qDuring active plate tectonic
processes, carbon cycles constantly between Earth’s interior and its surface.
qThe carbon
moves from deep rock reservoirs to the surface mainly as CO2 gas associated with volcanic activity along the margins of Earth’s tectonic plates.
qThe
centerpiece of the seafloor spreading hypothesis is the concept that
changes in the rate of seafloor spreading over millions of years control the rate of delivery of
CO2 to the atmosphere from the large rock reservoir of carbon, with the resulting
changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations controlling Earth’s climate.
(from Earth’s Climate: Past and Future)