Cascadia Basin

Columbia University, in partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, led a pre‑feasibility study (February 2017 – October 2018) assessing the potential of oceanic basalt formations in the Cascadia Basin—offshore Washington State and British Columbia—for securely and permanently storing up to 50 million metric tons of CO₂. The team analyzed extensive drilling, well-log, core sample, and seafloor instrumentation data, built advanced modeling tools, and developed reservoir and risk assessment methods tailored to deep ocean basalt environments The study also identified possible industrial CO₂ sources from the U.S. and Canada and developed five transport scenarios that could deliver 50 million metric tons of CO₂ to the basin. Simulations suggest that a plume injected over 20 years would remain contained throughout a 50-year post‑injection monitoring period, and geochemical reactions could mineralize the CO₂ into stable carbonates within about 135 years. A monitoring strategy supporting these findings was also proposed, bolstering confidence in the long-term effectiveness of this offshore basalt sequestration approach