Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Huge reservoir of melting carbon under Western United States

https://phys.org/news/2017-02-scientists-uncover-huge-reservoir-carbon.html

New research published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters describes how scientists have used the world's largest array of seismic sensors to map a deep-Earth area of melting carbon covering 1.8 million square kilometres. Situated under the Western US, 350km beneath the Earth's surface, the discovered melting region challenges accepted understanding of how much carbon the Earth contains – much more than previously understood.....

He continued, "Under the western US is a huge underground partially-molten reservoir of liquid carbonate. It is a result of one of the tectonic plates of the Pacific Ocean forced underneath the western USA, undergoing partial melting thanks to gasses like CO2 and H2O contained in the minerals dissolved in it."

As a result of this study, scientists now understand the amount of CO2 in the Earth's upper mantle may be up to 100 trillion metric tons. In comparison, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates the global carbon emission in 2011 was nearly 10 billion metric tons – a tiny amount in comparison. The deep carbon reservoir discovered by Dr. Hier-Majumder will eventually make its way to the surface through volcanic eruptions, and contribute to climate change albeit very slowly.

"We might not think of the deep structure of the Earth as linked to climate change above us, but this discovery not only has implications for subterranean mapping but also for our future atmosphere," concluded Dr Hier-Majumder,"For example, releasing only 1% of this CO2 into the atmosphere will be the equivalent of burning 2.3 trillion barrels of oil.

Birdwatcher

Oh noes! We're all gonna die.

The carbon credit scheme is starting to make sense!

Damn,....Reagan left all sortsa' damned problems for us, didn't that old bastid ?

There are so many things that 'man' thinks he can influence and control that it's comical at times.

God put it there for a reason

i suppose my truck is responsible for what's going on under the surface of the earth!

those phuggers are dumber that a sack of hammers

We ain't never going to find a way off this rock; too busy supporting illegal aliens.

I hope it all rushes out of Yellowstone all at once. That would put me a couple of hundred feet deep pretty fast. I guess I will go ahead and start losing sleep over it!!!!!

Speaking in geological time frames, the recent low in atmospheric CO2 threatened all plant life earth.

The continuous sequestration of carbon, primarily through shellfish into calcium carbonate has continuously reduced available C02 in the atmosphere. Those white cliffs of Dover contain an awful lot of carbon, and other than making cement, it doesn't get out.

Good to know there's more carbon for when we finally run out of oil.....

The movie 2012, oh wait...

Clearly this will be another reason for the left to call for a ban on Fracking....actually fracking probably caused this.

yes, we will.

..And this is why I feel obligated to drive my 7.5 liter F350 gasser, burn lots of wood in my stove, and eat lots of beans....to feed the trees.

So it's headed for a cataclysmic Yellowstone eruption. Is that what I should get out of this?

No. Mother Nature farts when and where she pleases in styles from the sublime to the absurd.

What AGAIN...say it isn't so!

Global warming, you know.

Good God! Don't tell the snowflakes!!!!!!

Wait - I changed my mind.