Carbon tetrachloride was discovered along with chloromethane and chloroform in oceans, marine algae and volcanoes. The natural emissions of carbon tetrachloride are too little compared to those from anthropogenic sources; for example, the Momotombo Volcano in Nicaragua emits carbon tetrachloride at a flux of 82 grams per year while the global industrial emissions were at 2 × 10 grams per year.
Carbon tetrachloride was found in Red algae Asparagopsis taxiformis and Asparagopsis armata. It was detected in Southern California ecosystems, salt lakes of Kalmykian Steppe and a common liverwort in Czechia.