Ancient rocks emit as much carbon as all of Earth’s volcanoes

As British scientists have found, rocks contain large amounts of CO2 – carbon accumulated in the remains of flora and fauna that lived on Earth several million years ago.

Rocks absorb carbon dioxide while the minerals of a particular rock are affected by a weak acid that is part of rainwater. This helps to counteract the continuous release of carbon by volcanoes. Accordingly, it is a component of the natural carbon cycle that helps to keep the planet’s surface habitable over time.