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• 1 2016-04-24T16:40:18-07:00 The Spill 20 image_header 2016-05-04T14:25:11-07:00

  On April 20, 2010, one of BP’s oil drilling platforms exploded causing one of the largest accidental oil spills in history. 

  BP, the owner of the rig, is one of the world’s leading oil and gas companies, providing oil for transportation, heat, light, engine lubricants, and petroleum products. They produce 3.3 billion barrels or oil per day using their rigs in over 70 countries. 

  
  The explosion 

  The platform that exploded was called Deepwater Horizon. It was located in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles southeast of the Mississippi River delta in New Orleans, Louisiana. Natural gas leaked through the concrete core and traveled to the platform where it ignited. On April 22, the platform sank, which caused the oil to gush out. It took 87 days to successfully cap the well, which was on July 12. It is estimated that about five million barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf during that time. 11 of the 126 workers were killed in the explosion. Their bodies were never found.

  Five million barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf.

  Where did the oil go? 

  The oil traveled a great length of the Gulf. The oil did three things:
  1. Formed oil slicks
  2. Stayed suspended underwater
  3. Sunk to the ocean floor
  Some of the oil formed oil slicks on the surface of the ocean that was spread quickly by the wind. At its largest, the slick covered almost 29,000 square miles, about the size of South Carolina. Some of the oil sunk to the sea floor picking up particles of bacteria and phytoplankton forming a substance called marine snow. Much of it stayed suspended underwater where the currents moved it. A massive plume was created, 10 miles lone and 3 miles wide, which threatened ecosystems due to depleted oxygen. On the first week of June, oil was found washed up on the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Oil was found as far from the well as the waters around the Florida Panhandle and Tampa Bay. Oil was still being found on beaches months after the as well. In 2013, 4.6 million pounds of oil was removed from beaches in Louisiana.