Earthquakes feed carbon storage in the deepest ocean trenches
A peer-reviewed paper in Nature Communications reports that earthquakes push organic matter into hadal trenches, the deepest parts of the ocean. The authors say this supports ongoing formation of authigenic carbonates.
The authors argue that these carbonates are an overlooked carbon sink. They also suggest the carbonates could be a route for carbon to move into the deep Earth. The work links seabed earthquakes to the way carbon is locked away on the ocean floor. The carbon sink claim is the authors' own view, and it has not been independently checked.