Poster EGU2017 – 10193 GPMV2.3 Simon Mitton St Edmund’s College, FROM TO CORE University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0BN, UK A Brief History of Deep Carbon Science European Geosciences Union General Assembly [email protected] 23–28 April 2017, Vienna, Austria

Agricola 1546 Gilbert 1600 Hooke 1665 Hutton 1788 Lyell 1830 Sedgwick 1839 Wegner 1912 Holmes 1911 ZoBell 1930s Goldschmidt 1930s Bridgman 1946 Ringwood 1975

Mineralogy Geomagnestism Microscope Modern Geology Geological Principles Devonian System Continental Drift Geochronology Deep Life: biofilms Geochemistry High Pressure Physics

Before 2009 … discovering Deep Finding the Pioneers Finding solutions to deep puzzles . . . After 2009 Recounting five centuries of progress in the discovery of the I am on the trail of high impact authors and their papers, tell me your nominations and suggestions The foundation of the in 2009 revolutionised geophysical, geochemical and biological properties of the Earth, deep Earth research and has given us a decade of significant deep Carbon From Crust to Core will document the vital discoveries that carbon discoveries. The history synthesis project Carbon From Crust to revealed the interior dynamics of our planet. Engaging stories of Whom do you want to Core recounts a remarkable story of how a community of scientists, from biologists to physicists, geologists to chemists, broke traditional remarkable scientists who first explored Earth’s deep interior will be see in the index? revealed. boundaries and built a new integrative field: deep carbon science. Nominate a colleague!

Deep Life Reservoirs & Fluxes Deep Life exerts a vital influence on By identifying the deep reservoirs and their Earth's elemental fluxes and reservoirs. fluxes we can unlock many of the secrets This was recognised by pioneers such as of the deep . Research from Claude ZoBell the ‘Father of Marine What’s your deep authors such as McKenzie, Barnes and Microbiology’ credited with discovering Giggenbach has allowed for links between biofilms. The Deep Carbon Observatory carbon story? carbon emissions and volcanic and continues to assess the abundance and Could you be my next tectonic activity to be made, as well as diversity of the subsurface realm, The deep carbon pioneer? giving insights into important cycling Census of Deep Life developed through processes such as mantle convection. DCO will us find the environmental limits to Deep Carbon Observatory aims to deep life. The Great Oxidation Event had a produce quantitative models of global huge effect on the history of life on Earth. How do these deep carbon cycling at the planetary, tectonic by cyanobacteria helped to lifeforms survive? What and reservoir scales, as well as assessing produce the organic carbon that became impact do they have on the evolution of the cycle over time. Deep fossil fuels. the carbon cycle? Carbon Observatory early career Geodynamics of Deep Carbon How is carbon recycled researchers recently conducted the Trail Deep carbon science explores how much carbon is in Earth, how it moves, what form it takes, where between the atmosphere by Fire expedition to make a snapshot of and how it originated, and how it has changed over billions of years. and Earth’s crust, mantle, volatile degassing along an entire Extreme Physics & Chemistry and core? zone. Deep carbon is often stored at extremely high temperatures and pressures, such as in the mantle and core of Earth and other Deep Energy planets. Bridgman pioneered the Carbon-based fuels supply most of society’s application of high pressure physics to energy, whilst atmospheric is mineralogy, paving the way for the primary cause of climate change. We must investigations into the physical and understand more about these deep sources of chemical behaviour of different elements energy if we are to continue to exploit them. and compounds in extreme conditions. Gold daringly proposed the deep gas Using both theoretical and experimental hypothesis, suggesting fossil fuel formation via approaches the Deep Carbon Observatory abiogenic processes and tectonic driven has been developing databases and migration. The Deep Carbon Observatory uses simulations of deep carbon material observation and experimentation to quantify the properties and seeking new carbon environmental conditions and processes that bearing minerals. Earth in Five Reactions control the origins, forms, quantities and Ancient inclusions of What are the physical and is a DCO project that will identify the five movements of carbon, abiogenic hydrocarbons garnet in from chemical properties of most important reactions that govern the and organic compounds in the deep earth over transformation of carbon in Earth. geologic time. Deep Carbon Observatory B o t s w a n a re v e a l t h e carbon in Earth’s interior? scientists are probing and their carbon cycle of early Earth. Acknowledgments: Fiona Iddon, Marie Edmonds, Craig Schiffries (advice), Deep Carbon Observatory (images). inclusions to quantify temporal changes in the ( p h o t o M . G r e s s / V U This history of science project for Deep Carbon Observatory will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2019 . Amsterdam)