Eventually, the formation and burial of carbonate minerals will release CO₂ stored by mineral weathering. This process counteracts most or all of the carbon storage associated with weathering carbonate rock, and around half of the storage associated with silicate rock weathering. The carbonate precipitation process occurs slowly and is unlikely to have a significant impact on estimates of carbon storage on decadal to millennial timescales. However on geologic timescales, it is an important process to characterize.