Calcium cycle
Article
The calcium cycle is the movement of calcium among rocks, soils, water, the atmosphere, and living organisms. Calcium is a major component of minerals, bones, shells, and many cellular processes.
Weathering of limestone, silicate minerals, and other rocks releases calcium ions into soils, rivers, and groundwater. Plants absorb calcium through their roots, and animals obtain it through food and water.
In oceans, organisms use calcium to build calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. After death, some of this material dissolves, while some is buried and eventually forms limestone and other sediments.
Uplift, erosion, metamorphism, subduction, and volcanism return calcium through long geological pathways. The cycle is closely linked with the carbon cycle because carbonate formation and weathering exchange carbon dioxide among air, water, and rock.
Source details and credits
- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_cycle