The Earth’s Secrets for a Cooler Future
Published:(17/09/25)
BY OCEANS RESEARCH
As the world becomes more concerned about climate change, scientists, policymakers, engineers, and communities are looking for ways to not only cut down on carbon emissions but also undo the damage they have already done. Geology, which is the study of the Earth's structure, composition, and processes, is an important part of this mission that is often overlooked. Geology gives us many of the tools we need to fight climate change, like storing carbon deep underground, using the Earth's heat for renewable energy, and providing clean technologies with the minerals they need. This article talks about how geology is helping the fight against climate change through carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS), geothermal energy, and important minerals. We'll talk about how they work, what problems they have, and what the future holds for them.
Getting rid of carbon and storing it underground
What does it mean to capture, use, and store carbon?
Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is a group of technologies that take carbon dioxide (CO₂) from places where it is released (like power plants and factories) or directly from the air. They then either use it to make things or store it permanently underground.
Pre-combustion, post-combustion, or oxy-fuel combustion can all be used to capture.
Using CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), as a feedstock for chemicals, fuels, building materials, or even mineralization are all examples of how it can be used.
When CO₂ is stored, it is usually injected into deep, stable geological formations like depleted oil and gas fields or deep saline aquifers. Another method is mineral sequestration, where CO₂ reacts with rock to make stable carbonate minerals.
Why Geology is Important
Geology decides if a site is safe for long-term carbon storage. For example, stable rock formations, impermeable caprock/seals to keep CO₂ from leaking, porosity and permeability in the reservoir rocks, no faults that could create pathways for leakage, and minimal risk to groundwater or people.
Countries and scientists have found that many geological formations around the world can hold a lot of CO₂ much more than what is expected to be released if they are developed correctly. For instance, there are a lot of deep saline formations, and online studies show that they could be used for safe, permanent storage.
Examples
The Aquistore project in Canada is one example. It captures CO₂ and stores it in a deep saline formation, giving data and proof-of-concept for safety, monitoring, and scale.
In the U.S., there are plans for several CCUS projects, such as retrofitting power plants and factories, with saline formation storage and stricter government oversight.
Benefits
1. It cuts down on CO₂ emissions by a lot, which is important for industries that are hard to decarbonize, like cement, steel, and heavy industry.
2. Let people keep using fossil fuels (for a short to medium amount of time) while cleaner options are made.
3. Reduces climate risk by possibly bringing "negative emissions" or removal technologies online.
4. Possible co-benefits: using old oil and gas infrastructure, making jobs in geology, drilling, monitoring, and engineering.
Problems and Risks
Cost: capturing technologies, moving them, and storing them all cost a lot of money, especially when you have to follow rules and keep an eye on them.
Risk of leakage: If the site is not chosen carefully or the seals are not good enough, CO₂ could escape and affect groundwater or even leak onto the surface.
Acceptance and regulation by the public: people may not trust underground injection, so the laws, responsibilities, and monitoring systems need to be strong.
Energy penalty: It takes energy to capture and compress CO₂, which can sometimes cancel out the benefits.
What Needs To Happen Next
▪️ Better geological surveying and mapping to find safe, high-capacity sites.
▪️ Stronger rules for getting permits, keeping an eye on things, and taking care of things for a long time.
▪️ Tax credits, carbon pricing, and subsidies are some of the financial incentives that can make CCUS a viable business.
▪️ Research into technologies that lower costs, like more effective solvents and sorbents and better ways to capture things.
Geothermal energy: using the heat of the earth
Geothermal energy is heat that is stored under the surface of the Earth. It is a source of power and heat that can be used over and over again and doesn't produce a lot of carbon. Geology is very important for finding, evaluating, and getting geothermal energy.
Different kinds of geothermal energy and why geology is important
Hydrothermal systems: Hot water or steam trapped in rock that lets water through (like geothermal reservoirs). Needs reservoirs that are porous and permeable, caprocks that are impermeable, and enough heat flow.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS): In places where there are no natural hydrothermal reservoirs, rock is broken up to make it easier for fluids to flow. Geology must allow for the formation of fractures and be able to handle thermal stress.
Geothermal direct use: Heat is used to heat buildings, greenhouses, and industrial processes. The temperature is lower and the geology is shallower.
New hybrid or combined systems, like CO₂-plume geothermal, which combines geothermal energy with CO₂ injection. In this case, CO₂ is used as a working fluid to get heat and store CO₂ at the same time.
Advantages
▪️Reliable base-load power (not solar or wind power that comes and goes).
▪️ Plants that don't release a lot of carbon once they're up.
▪️ In many cases, it can be used for both heating and industrial purposes.
▪️ Could provide clean energy in places with the right geology, like developing countries.
Problems with geology
▪️ Resource assessment: figuring out the flow of heat, the temperature below the surface, the permeability, and the capacity of the reservoir.
▪️ Risk of exploration: drilling costs a lot of money, and the failure rate can be high.
▪️Fracturing rock can cause earthquakes, especially in EGS.
▪️ Water use and geochemical problems: mineral deposition, scaling, corrosion, and fluid chemistry.
Examples & Innovation
▪️ Researchers are looking into projects that combine storing CO₂ with geothermal extraction (CO₂-plume geothermal). Both of these can make power and help the environment by storing it.
▪️ Better geological survey methods, mapping hotspots, and using satellite, seismic, and geophysical data to make sites safer.
Geological Exploration and Critical Minerals
Lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earth elements, graphite, and other critical minerals are very important for modern clean technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries, and grid storage. Geology tells us where these minerals are, how common they are, how easy they are to get to, and how long they can be mined without damaging the environment.
Why Critical Minerals Are Important
▪️ Nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium are all used in batteries.
▪️ Neodymium and dysprosium are two types of rare earth magnets.
▪️Copper, silver, and other metals that are good at conducting electricity and heat. ▪️ Parts for wind turbines and solar panels
Geological Factors
Ore formation: knowing how deposits work (like pegmatites for lithium, laterites for nickel, and magmatic/hydrothermal deposits).
Sustainability: means leaving as little of an impact on the environment as possible, using less energy and water in mining, and properly disposing of waste.
Geopolitical risk and supply chain: many important minerals are found in one place; geology and political stability are important.
Role in climate action?
▪️ Deployment of EVs, solar, and storage is limited without a reliable supply of important minerals.
▪️ New ideas in geology, like better geochemical analysis and remote sensing, can help find deposits that have less of an effect on the environment.
▪️ Recycling and the circular economy are also connected. Geology helps find out what minerals are in something so it can be recycled better.
Synergies: Where These Areas Meet
These three areas carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy, and critical minerals work together and support each other in many ways:
Geology that can be used for more than one thing: Some geological structures below the surface can be used for more than one thing, like saline aquifers that store CO₂ and geothermal heat extraction.
Infrastructure reuse: Old oil and gas wells can sometimes be used for geothermal or CO₂ injection.
Research overlap: All three can use tools like geophysical mapping, remote sensing, and seismic surveys.
Policy, Finance and Implementation
Geology isn't enough on its own. To make the above work, a few things need to be in place:
Rules and Policies
▪️ Strong rules for choosing sites, keeping an eye on them, and stopping leaks in CCUS.
▪️Frameworks for permits that don't hold up projects.
▪️ Social licensing (with communities) and land access rights.
Market Mechanisms and Financial Incentives
▪️Carbon pricing, credits, and subsidies for storing and capturing carbon.
▪️ There are incentives for using renewable energy sources, such as geothermal.
▪️Support for mining that is good for the environment and the economy.
Research, Innovation, and Building Skills
Many countries don't have enough geological survey capacity, so it's important to invest in geological institutions, data, and mapping.
▪️ New ideas in materials for capturing, drilling, and remote sensing.
▪️ Collaboration among governments, academia, and industry.
Environmental and Social Factors
▪️ Making sure that mining, drilling, and injection operations don't hurt the environment too much.
▪️Getting people in the area involved and being open about risks.
▪️Lifecycle analyses to make sure that "clean energy technologies" don't have a big carbon footprint overall.
Case Studies
To show how geology is already helping the fight against climate change:
Sleipner (Norway): Storing CO₂ safely in saline layers offshore, where it can stay for decades and hold millions of tons. (deep geological storage case)
Aquistore (Canada): A project to inject CO₂ into a deep saline aquifer. Shows how to keep an eye on things, stay safe, and learn more over time.
CO₂-Plume Geothermal research: Using the same reservoirs to store CO₂ and produce geothermal energy. Shows a lot of promise for working together.
Improved weathering: Spreading silicate rocks on land to speed up chemical weathering so that CO₂ is pulled down and stored in minerals is a newer idea.
Problems and obstacles
Even though the promise is big, there are a number of problems that need to be solved:
Technical risks: include leaks, earthquakes, drilling failures, and not performing as expected.
High upfront cost: Exploration, building infrastructure, and following the rules all cost money.
Uncertainty about policy: Investment is risky without stable policy support.
Public opinion and social license: People need to trust you, especially for storing CO₂ underground.
Environmental justice and fairness: Communities often take on risk, so everyone should get the benefits.
What Can Be Done to Move Forward
Here are some ways to successfully scale geological tools for climate action:
1. Map and describe geological resources around the world, especially in places that haven't been studied much.
2. Put money into safety protocols, risk assessment, and monitoring, such as seismic monitoring, leakage detection, and groundwater protection.
3. Make financial tools and incentives, like carbon credit markets, government subsidies, and partnerships between the public and private sectors.
4. Support research and development for new capture materials, better mining methods, and technologies that work together, like CO2-plume geothermal and enhanced weathering.
5. Build up local skills, especially in developing countries, so they can use their natural resources without taking advantage of them.
6. Get communities involved early on to promote fairness, openness, and social acceptance.
Final Thoughts
Geology is an important part of the fight against climate change. It supports the safest ways to store carbon, makes renewable geothermal power possible, and gives clean technologies the minerals they need. There are real problems, such as cost, risk, policy, and social acceptance, but progress is already being made. Geological sciences will be very important for making climate action work if we plan, invest, innovate, and take care of our resources in a responsible way.