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Pervasive subduction zone devolatilization recycles CO2 into the forearc

Author

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  • E. M. Stewart

    (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University
    California Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences)

  • Jay J. Ague

    (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University)

Abstract

The fate of subducted CO2 remains the subject of widespread disagreement, with different models predicting either wholesale (up to 99%) decarbonation of the subducting slab or extremely limited carbon loss and, consequently, massive deep subduction of CO2. The fluid history of subducted rocks lies at the heart of this debate: rocks that experience significant infiltration by a water-bearing fluid may release orders of magnitude more CO2 than rocks that are metamorphosed in a closed chemical system. Numerical models make a wide range of predictions regarding water mobility, and further progress has been limited by a lack of direct observations. Here we present a comprehensive field-based study of decarbonation efficiency in a subducting slab (Cyclades, Greece), and show that ~40% to ~65% of the CO2 in subducting crust is released via metamorphic decarbonation reactions at forearc depths. This result precludes extensive deep subduction of most CO2 and suggests that the mantle has become more depleted in carbon over geologic time.

Suggested Citation

  • E. M. Stewart & Jay J. Ague, 2020. "Pervasive subduction zone devolatilization recycles CO2 into the forearc," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-19993-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19993-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Xiao-Yu Zhang & Li-Hui Chen & Xiao-Jun Wang & Takeshi Hanyu & Albrecht W. Hofmann & Tsuyoshi Komiya & Kentaro Nakamura & Yasuhiro Kato & Gang Zeng & Wen-Xian Gou & Wei-Qiang Li, 2022. "Zinc isotopic evidence for recycled carbonate in the deep mantle," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.

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