Deep carbon is terrestrial carbon that is not in the atmosphere or
oceans or on the surface. We have a great deal of knowledge about the
properties of near surface carbon, but relatively little is known about
the deep carbon cycle. The Deep Carbon Observatory, was founded in 2009,
to address major questions about deep carbon. Where are the reservoirs
of carbon? Is there significant carbon flux between the deep interior
and the surface? What is deep microbial life? Did deep organic chemistry
have a role in the origin of life? This project is directed toward
documenting and describing of the history of deep carbon science. The
narrative begins in 1601, when William Gilbert suggested that Earth's
interior behaves like a giant bar magnet. We trace across three
centuries the slow evolution of thought that led to the establishment of
the interdisciplinary field of Earth System Science. The concept and
then development of the deep carbon cycle of burial and exhumation dates
back at least two hundred years. We identify and document the key
discoveries of deep carbon science, and assess the impact of this new
knowledge on geochemistry, geodynamics, and geobiology. A History of
Deep Carbon Science is in preparation for publication by Cambridge
University Press in 2019. Its illuminating narrative highlights the
engaging human stories of many remarkable researchers who have
discovered the complexity and dynamics of Earth's interior.