Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2025, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (3): 350-361.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2025.3.41

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Carbon output fluxes of volcanic activity during typical geological periods on the Tibetan Plateau and related environmental implications

XIE Xiangang1,2(), ZHAO Wenbin1, ZHANG Maoliang2,*(), GUO Zhengfu1, XU Sheng2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric and Environmental Coevolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
    2. School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
  • Received:2025-02-07 Revised:2025-02-28 Online:2025-03-25 Published:2025-04-20

Abstract:

Volcanic activity and deep earth processes significantly influence climatic and environmental changes, making them a critical topic in global change research. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic was accompanied by multiple phases of volcanic activity and deep carbon release, while atmospheric CO2 concentrations underwent periodic changes. During this period, the Asian climate shifted from being predominantly controlled by planetary wind systems to a monsoon-dominated regime. However, whether there is an intrinsic connection between volcanic activity on the Tibetan Plateau and climatic-environmental changes remains unclear due to the lack of direct constraints on the output of deep carbon release from volcanic activity. This study focuses on post-collisional volcanic activity on the Tibetan Plateau, analyzing Miocene volcanic rocks from the Chazi and Mibale areas of the Lhasa block and Oligocene volcanic rocks from the Yibuchaka, Ejumaima, and Yulishan areas of the Qiangtang block. Using laser in-situ Raman spectroscopy, the CO2 concentrations in melt inclusions within phenocrysts of these volcanic rocks were determined. Combined with parameters such as volcanic rock volume and age, we estimated the CO2 output from volcanic activity in the Lhasa block and Qiangtang block. The results show that the average CO2 concentrations in volcanic rocks from the Lhasa block and Qiangtang block are approximately (1.73±0.59)% and (0.46±0.07)%, respectively. Based on volcanic rock volumes, the estimated CO2 flux from volcanic activity in the Lhasa block and Qiangtang block is (0.252±0.091) Pg·a-1 and (0.012±0.002) Pg·a-1, respectively. The lower CO2 flux from Oligocene volcanic activity in the Qiangtang block is consistent with the rapid decline in atmospheric CO2 concentration during this period, while the higher CO2 flux from Miocene volcanic activity in the Lhasa block may have contributed to the peak in atmospheric CO2 concentration during the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum. The approximate synchronous variation between deep carbon outflux from volcanic activity on the Tibetan Plateau and atmospheric CO2 concentration suggests that volcanic activity induced by the India-Asia continental collision and subduction was a key factor influencing the Cenozoic atmospheric carbon budget.

Key words: volcanic activity, CO2 emission, Tibetan Plateau, melt inclusion

CLC Number: