Researchers have lifted the lid off the secret behind how earth continues to remain habitable. They have found that geologic cycles act as a climate control to release and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide in a balance, thereby making the planet neither too hot nor too cold.

Carbon cycle plays a vital role to ensure presence of life on earth, said Mark Torres, a doctoral fellow at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He asserted that it is certainly the reason why life still exists on earth.

Researchers from USC and Nanjing University in China have found evidence that the earth's equilibrium is maintained by the rocks on the earth's surface. In other words, it is actually the geological cycles that churn up new rocks and push older ones underground. Also, the weather that erodes rock surfaces helps the planet in maintaining a balance.

It is known fact that fresh rocks pushed to the surface during mountain formation behave as sponge to absorb atmospheric CO2. Tectonic activity leads to formation of many of these mountains. For instance, crash of Indian subcontinent into Asia 25 million years ago caused the formation of the Himalayan mountain range.

Earth and Mars are the only planets in our solar system with tectonic plates. Higher levels of CO2 are also produced by volcanoes, but they alone are not enough to compensate for the absorption rates of fresh rock. But, exposure of that fresh rock to water and weather cycles causes erosions, which releases CO2 back into atmosphere to create a balance. And this cycle has been regulating the Earth's CO2 for millions of years.

"Our presence on Earth is dependent upon this carbon cycle. This is why life is able to survive", said Mark Torres in a statement. He said this does not have any serious implications for global warming issues.