SMECTITE – ROLE IN CLIMATE CONTROL

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: A recent research by geologists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), published in Nature Geoscience, highlights the significance of smectite, a clay mineral found in oceanic crust, in the process of capturing and storing carbon.

EXPLANATION:

• This discovery holds the potential to significantly impact the planet’s climate by contributing to Earth’s cooling mechanisms.

Smectite’s Carbon-Sequestering Abilities

• The accordion-like structure of smectite, discovered in the intricate layers of the seafloor, facilitates the trapping of organic carbon.
• This natural process occurs during tectonic activities, where smectite forms as a result of the collision between oceanic and continental plates.
• The mineral, once formed, descends back to the ocean bed, capturing remnants of deceased organisms within its microscopic folds, effectively preventing the release of carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Historical Context and Geological Findings

• MIT researchers linked smectite production to major tectonic events over the past 500 million years.
• They suggest that the formation of significant quantities of these clays potentially contributed to the cooling of the Earth and even induced ice ages.
• This groundbreaking study establishes a direct correlation between plate tectonics and the onset of ice ages, attributing this relationship to the creation of carbon-sequestering smectite.

Scientific Methodology and Confirmation of Hypotheses

• The research team investigated geological records to analyze weathering patterns of magmatic minerals and the resulting types of clays.
• Using simulations of the Earth’s carbon cycle, they assessed the impact of various minerals.
• Smectite emerged as not only a product of tropical tectonics but also an exceptionally efficient captor of organic carbon.
• Despite challenges in directly measuring ancient smectite, the presence of trace elements such as nickel and chromium in sedimentary deposits provided crucial evidence supporting the theory.
• These elements, associated with rocks producing smectite, acted as identifiable “fingerprints.”

Quantifying Smectite’s Impact on Climate

• Although smectite’s contribution to carbon preservation seems small—less than one-tenth of a percent—it holds significant implications over geological timescales.
• The researchers estimate that this minor percentage played a pivotal role in triggering the planet’s major ice ages.

Implications and Future Applications

• Beyond understanding Earth’s climatic history, this discovery introduces possibilities for climate change mitigation strategies.
• Smectite could potentially be utilized to stabilize carbon-rich permafrost regions threatened by global warming, offering a natural solution to address human-induced climate challenges.

Conclusion: Harnessing Natural Processes for Climate Mitigation

• The MIT team’s findings emphasize the importance of comprehensively understanding the global carbon cycle.
• Furthermore, the discovery of smectite’s impact on climate paves the way for exploring and leveraging natural processes to mitigate human-induced climate change, presenting a promising avenue in the fight against the escalating climate crisis.

SOURCE: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/mysterious-mineral-found-in-ocean-could-keep-earth-cool-even-induce-ice-age-2472168-2023-12-05