MELBOURNE, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Carbon released from Earth's spreading tectonic plates, not volcanic eruptions, may have triggered major climate transitions between ancient ice ages and warm periods, an Australian study revealed Tuesday.
The study reconstructed how carbon moved between volcanoes, oceans and deep within the Earth over the last 540 million years, providing insight into the magnitude of our rapidly changing climate today, said a statement of Australia's University of Melbourne.
The research found that volcanoes, such as those around the Pacific Ring of Fire, only became significant carbon sources in the past 100 million years, which challenges current scientific understanding. ■