The system consists of porous volcanic rubble, called breccia, formed by the erosion of underwater mountains.
This rock can trap 2 to 40 times more carbon dioxide than typical ocean crust, locking it away for tens of millions of years.
The process involves seawater flowing through the rubble, reacting with the rock to form calcium carbonate minerals that permanently store CO2.
This finding reshapes understanding of Earth's long-term carbon cycle and reveals a key mechanism for stabilizing the planet's climate over geological time.
In a discovery that reshapes our understanding of Earth's climate machinery, an international team of scientists has uncovered a colossal, natural carbon dioxide storage system operating silently beneath the ocean floor. Led by researchers from the University of Southampton, the study, published in December 2025, analyzed rock cores drilled from deep beneath the South Atlantic Ocean. It reveals that vast deposits of eroded volcanic rubble, formed over 60 million years ago, act as a geological sponge, sequestering enormous amounts of CO2 for tens of millions of years and playing a critical, underappreciated role in stabilizing the planet's long-term climate....<<<Read More>>>...
