Chemical requirements of CO2 release from calcium carbonate in glacial periods

Gregkaye gregor... at yahoo.co.uk
Sat Jan 15 16:26:18 UTC 2011


Please can you advise/comment regarding the extent to which ice age
glaciations may be limited by the release of CO2 due to the
disassociation of the calcium and carbon contents of calcium carbonate
based rock.

My concern is that future glaciations may have comparatively little
restraint.  Previous glaciations will have had comparatively high
levels of restraint due to the comparatively easy release of carbon
both through the erosion of coal and by the release of both gas and
oil as great weights of ice were uneavenly applied upon the underlying
contents of rock. A question is raised as to the extents to which
previous glaciations may have been restrained by releases of carbon
resulting from the erosion of various categories of fossilised carbon,
calcified and otherwise.

Clearly, non calcified forms of fossilied carbon will have always been
relatively prone to decay and yet they will have been comparatively
lacking in abundance. Calcified rock, on the other hand, has a
comparatively great abundance and yet, in this case, the carbon will
not be as readily released from its calcified context. That's as far
as I've got.

Calcium carbonate = CaCO3 and is reported to release CO2 when reacting
with "strong acids". Which acids and in what circumstances?

Glaciation has a clear ability to grind large chunks of rock into
smaller sizes of particle increasing surface area between the
particles.  The particles may even be reduced to sizes that would
allow them to be consumed by various living organisms.  However, it is
also clear that various of these organisms may have had a relatively
limited intake of calcium carbonate even when the rate of its
distribution and deposition was increased by glaciation.

It will also be of help to know the effect of carbonic acid on calcium
carbonate to either isolate particles of CaCO3 and then to release the
carbon from its calcified context.

Which other acids could do the job, in which circumstance and to what
extent?

Thanks for this.

I have already placed a provisional article on
"Gaia's Revenge Served Cold" at:

attemptsatsurvival.org/gaiasrevenge

Any comments and guidance related to the content will also be
appreciated.


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