Forearc carbon sink reduces long-term volatile recycling into the mantle

Barry, Peter H.; Moor, J. Maarten de; Giovannelli, Donato; Schrenk, M. O.; Hummer, Daniel R.; Lopez, T. M.; Pratt, Katie; Segura, Yemerith Alpízar; Battaglia, Angélo; Beaudry, P.; Bini, Giulio; Cascante, Monserrat; d’Errico, Giuseppe; Carlo, M. diÂ; Fattorini, Daniele; Fullerton, K. M.; Gazel, Esteban; González, Gino; Halldórsson, Sæmundur A.; Iacovino, Kayla; Ilanko, Tehnuka; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Manini, Elena; Martínez, María del Mar Martínez; Miller, Heather; Nakagawa, Mayuko; Ono, Shuhei; Patwardhan, Sushmita; Ramírez, Carlos; Regoli, Francesco; Smedile, Francesco; Turner, Scott S.; Vetriani, Costantino; Yücel, Mustafa; Ballentine, C. J.; Fischer, Tobias P.; Hilton, David R.; Lloyd, Karen G.

doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1131-5

Cited by 107 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…Volcanic-arc data are still sparse, however, and portable mass spectrometers mounted on helicopters 94 and field vehicles 95 are providing new methods for carbon isotope analysis in remote regions. Carbon isotope measurements in springs are also revealing subducting and upper-plate sources, as well as sequestration in the biosphere 96 .…”

Section: Carbon Returned: Volcanic Gasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subducting carbon

Plank

Manning

2019

Nature

280

220

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A hidden carbon cycle exists inside Earth. Every year, megatons of carbon disappear into subduction zones, affecting atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen over Earth's history. Here we discuss the processes that move carbon towards subduction zones and transform it into fluids, magmas, volcanic gases and diamonds. The carbon dioxide emitted from arc volcanoes is largely recycled from subducted microfossils, organic remains and carbonate precipitates. The type of carbon input and the efficiency with which carbon is remobilized in the subduction zone vary greatly around the globe, with every convergent margin providing a natural laboratory for tracing subducting carbon.

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Section: Carbon Returned: Volcanic Gasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subducting carbon

Plank

Manning

2019

Nature

280

220

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“…These authors used helium and carbon isotope data from deep sourced fluids to estimate that~91% of the forearc carbon is sequestered as calcite and that methane emissions contribute negligibly to the total carbon budget in the forearc. We agree that sequestration as carbonate minerals likely contributes significantly to the overall carbon inventories, but the analysis by Barry et al (2019) did not include the carbon input from terrestrial material that rapidly filled the forearc basin following the subduction of the Cocos Ridge. The rapid burial of the sediments resulted in significant methane formation and accumulation in the margin wedge as documented by scientific drilling (Harris et al, 2013;Kimura et al, 1997;Vannucchi et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Interplay of Subduction Tectonics, Sedimentation, and Carbon Cycling

Riedinger

Torres

Screaton

et al. 2019

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Distinct differences were observed in geochemical signatures in sediments from two sites drilled in the upper plate of the Costa Rica margin during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 334. The upper 80 m at Site U1379, located on the outer shelf, shows pore water non‐steady state conditions characteristic of a declining methane flux. These contrast with analyses of the upper sediment layers at the middle slope site (U1378) that reflect steady state conditions. Distinct carbonate‐rich horizons up to 11 meters thick were recovered between 63 and 310 meters below seafloor at Site U1379 but were not found at Site U1378. The carbonates and dissolved inorganic carbon from Site U1379 have a depleted carbon stable isotope signal (up to −25‰) that indicates anaerobic methane oxidation. This inference is further supported by distinct δ34S‐pyrite and magnetic susceptibility records that reveal fluctuations of the sulfate‐methane transition in response to methane flux variations. Tectonic reconstructions of this margin document a marked subsidence event after arrival of the Cocos Ridge, 2.2 ± 0.2 million years ago (Ma), followed by increased sedimentation rates and uplift. As the seafloor at Site U1379 rose from ~2,000 m to the present water depth of ~126 m, the site moved out of the gas hydrate stability zone at ~1.1 Ma, triggering upward methane advection, methane oxidation, and the onset of massive carbonate formation. Younger carbonate occurrences and the non‐steady state pore water profiles at Site U1379 reflect continued episodic venting likely modulated by changes in the underlying methane reservoir.

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“…Once subducted, carbon stored in sediments and crust can either be released into the lithosphere and atmosphere through melting and/or volcanic outgassing, or recycled back into the mantle (Zhang and Zindler, 1993;Sleep and Zahnle, 2001) as part of the deep carbon cycle (Dasgupta and Hirschmann, 2010). In particular, the metasomatism of oceanic crust occurring within subduction zones stores carbon in blueschists and greenschists (Bebout and Barton, 1989;Kelemen and Manning, 2015), and calcite has been identified as a major storage of carbon in the forearc (Barry et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonic Controls on Carbon and Serpentinite Storage in Subducted Upper Oceanic Lithosphere for the Past 320 Ma

2019

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The subduction of upper oceanic lithosphere acts as a primary driver of Earth's deep carbon and water cycles, providing a key transportation mechanism between surface systems and the deep Earth. Carbon and water are stored and transported in altered oceanic lithosphere. In this study, we present mass estimates of the subducted carbon and serpentinite flux from 320 to 0 Ma. Flux estimates are calculated using a fullplate tectonic reconstruction to build a descriptive model of oceanic lithosphere at points along mid-ocean ridges. These points then track the kinematic evolution of the lithosphere until subduction. To address uncertainties of modeled spreading rates in synthetic ocean basins, we consider the preserved recent (83-0 Ma) spreading history of the Pacific Ocean to be representative of the Panthalassa Ocean. This analysis suggests present-day subducting upper oceanic lithosphere contains 10-39 Mt/a of carbon and 900-3500 Mt/a of serpentinite (∼150-450 Mt/a of water). The highest rates of carbon delivery to trenches (20-100 Mt/a) occurred during the Early Cretaceous, as upper oceanic lithosphere subducted during this period formed in times of warm bottom water and the Cretaceous period experienced high seafloor production and consumption rates. Additionally, there are several episodes of high serpentinite delivery to trenches over the last 100 Ma, driven by extensive serpentinization of mantle peridotites exposed at slow spreading ridges. We propose variations in subduction regimes act as the principal control on the subduction of carbon stored in upper oceanic lithosphere, as since 320 Ma the volume of stored carbon across all ocean basins varies by less than an order of magnitude. For pre-Pangea times (<300 Ma), this suggests estimates of seafloor consumption represent a reasonable first-order approximation of carbon delivery. Serpentinite and associated water flux at subduction zones appear to be primarily controlled by the spreading regime at mid-ocean ridges. This is apparent during times of supercontinent breakup where slow spreading ridges produce highly serpentinized crust, and is observed in the present-day Atlantic, Arctic and Indian oceans, where our model suggests upper oceanic lithosphere is up to ∼100 times more enriched in serpentinite than the Panthalassa and Pacific oceans.

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Forearc carbon sink reduces long-term volatile recycling into the mantle

Cited by 107 publications

References 89 publications

Subducting carbon

Subducting carbon

Interplay of Subduction Tectonics, Sedimentation, and Carbon Cycling

Tectonic Controls on Carbon and Serpentinite Storage in Subducted Upper Oceanic Lithosphere for the Past 320 Ma

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