Mountain erosion may add CO2 to the atmosphere

by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, April 12, 2018 in ScienceDaily


Scientists have long known that steep mountain ranges can draw carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere — as erosion exposes new rock, it also starts a chemical reaction between minerals on hill slopes and CO2 in the air, ‘weathering’ the rock and using CO2 to produce carbonate minerals like calcite.