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Clay minerals store organic carbon and cool Earth’s climate over millions of years

An integrated model of mineral weathering and carbon cycling reveals the substantial influence that clay minerals originating from the weathering of magnesium-rich rocks have on Earth’s climate. This research indicates that this clay-forming process contributed to each Palaeozoic glaciation.

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Fig. 1: Carbon cycle model results.

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This is a summary of: Murray, J. & Jagoutz, O. Palaeozoic cooling modulated by ophiolite weathering through organic carbon preservation. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01342-9 (2023).

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Clay minerals store organic carbon and cool Earth’s climate over millions of years. Nat. Geosci. 17, 8–9 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01353-6

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