Movement of carbon- geological component Flashcards
the movement of carbon between stores is known as
transfers or fluxes
if more carbon enters a store than leaves it, that store is considered a
net carbon sink
if more carbon leaves a store than enters it, it is considered a
net carbon source
carbon interacts with the rock cycle in the processes of
weathering, burial, subduction and volcanic eruptions
in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by dissolving in water and forming
carbonic acid
chemical weathering is when
acidified rain (containing carbonic acid) reacts with minerals at the earth’s surface and dissolves them into their component ions, which are washed away by surface waters
when carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms
carbonic acid
explain how sedimentary rocks form: (6 marks)
calcium carbonate is precipitated from calcium and bicarbonate ions in seawater by marine organisms such as molluscs. when these creatures die, their skeletons sink to the sea bed, where layer upon layer of sediment forms sedimentary rocks such as limestone.
what do corals extract from seawater and how does this influence the carbon cycle?
CaCO3 is extracted, and the corals use this to build their skeleton. when they die, another coral grows on top, building a carbon store in the form of a coral reef.
tectonic uplift can result in ocean bottom carbon stores being moved to the surface by
physically lifting the ocean floor upwards due to a continental-continental plate boundary. some of the material at the peaks of the Himalayas was once on the ocean floor (50 million years ago)
carbon in sedimentary rocks is transferred to the earth’s core via
the subduction of ocean plates under continental margins, where sedimentary rock is melted under high pressure
CO2 returns to the atmosphere from the earth’s mantle via
volcanic eruptions, vents and CO2-rich hot springs
