March 18, 2009 -- One possible solution to global warming is simple, abundant and just sitting around waiting to go to work: rocks. Scattered across the country, there are heaps of rocks capable of permanently sucking tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, according to a new mapping project by the U.S. Geological Survey and Columbia University's Earth Institute. Many of these rocks are already slowly lapping up carbon from the air. The trick now is to find a cheap, energy-efficient way to speed up the process, said Sam Krevor, an environmental engineer at Columbia University in New York. "There's more rock to bind carbon dioxide than you would produce with all the fossil fuels you could burn," Krevor told Discovery News. "Whether or not this is practical will be answered in the next few years with the way research is going," he added. "But there's nothing now saying that it's dead in the water." Related Content:
Krevor and colleagues collected and pored over geologic maps that cover various parts of the continental United States. They were looking specifically for rocks with high concentrations of magnesium, which readily reacts with carbon dioxide to produce a stable, solid mineral called magnesium carbonate. Rocks deep in the earth's mantle are particularly rich in magnesium. So the researchers focused on places where the mantle has been exposed but have remained mostly unchanged. Coastal mountain chains proved to be a particularly good source of these rocks, called ultramific. In those places, the ocean crust has been pushed up onto the continental crust. Because of their chemical makeup, when the rocks are exposed to carbon dioxide, they react to form common limestone and chalk. After compiling and mapping all of the information they could dig up, the researchers found a total of 6,000 square miles of ultramific rock at or near the Earth's surface around the United States. Twenty-nine of the lower 48 states have enough ultramific rock to make industrial-scale carbon sequestration possible, Krevor said. "You could easily get out 500 years-worth of [CO2] output," he said. "Basically, any amount of carbon dioxide you might want to sequester using this method would not be limited by the amount of rock." Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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