Why could volcanic landscapes be useful sites for storing captured carbon dioxide?

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Illustration of various geoengineering techniques to address climate change, including carbon capture and storage methods like artificial trees, industrial scrubbers, and deep ocean CO2 storage, as well as solar reflectance strategies such as sulfur aerosols, reflective crops, cloud whitening, and orbital mirrors. The scene shows these interventions applied to land, sea, and atmosphere, with labeled features explaining each process. — Geoengineering Various geoengineering proposals designed to increase solar reflectance or capture and store carbon.

Volcanic landscapes are considered potentially useful sites for storing captured carbon dioxide primarily because of their abundance of basalt rock formations.1

When carbon dioxide is captured—such as through direct air capture methods—it can be processed into weak acids. These acids react readily with basalt, a common volcanic rock, to mineralize the carbon dioxide into stable carbonate rocks within a few years. This process effectively locks the carbon into a solid, permanent form, reducing the risk of leakage that can be associated with other types of underground storage.1

By utilizing these geological formations, scientists aim to provide a safe and long-term solution for sequestering carbon dioxide that has been removed from the atmosphere.1