Lithosphere

• Fluxes into the lithosphere

  Burial of organic matter
• Fluxes out the lithosphere


  -out gassing (atmosphere)

  -erosion and weathering (hydrosphere)
• Stores of carbon in the lithosphere


  limestone, chalk, fossil fuels (peat, coal, oil)
• Diageneisis


  -long term process by which carbon-rich sediments turns to rock

  -pressure causes some of the carbon to dissolve out of shells

  -forming a carbon cement around the other undissolved shells
• Carbon stores


  -mountains, Himalayas (carbon rock being brought to the surface when two continental plates meet and buckle)

  -shale and limestone, sedimentary rocks
• how is shale formed?

  Hardening of mud, containing organic matter
• How is limestone formed?

  collection of calcium carbonate particles, from the shelled marine organisms
• shale and fossil fuels


  if under large pressure and high temperatures, shale can turn into hydrocarbons (oils, fossil fuels)
• What is carbon on the atmosphere measured in?

  Petagrams of carbon
• How much carbon is stored in sedimentary rocks?

  83,000,000 petagrams
• How many petagrams of carbon is in the crust?

  4,000 as hydrocarbons
• carbon flux- weathering


  acidic rain = carbonic acid

  -carbon from the atmosphere is dissolved in water vapour

  -precipitation dissolved minerals in rocks exposed at the surface
• Caron Flux- outgassing


  happens at subduction zones, divergent plate boundaries and volcanoes

  releases CO2 into atmosphere
• Example of outgassing


  -Mt Etna, most active outgassing volcano

  cause: Tethys Ocean (ancient) limestone rocks that now pollute magma with carbon dioxide