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Deepwater Horizon oil spill
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Deepwater Horizon oil rig: fire Deepwater Horizon oil spill: debris and oil
Observe fireboat responding to crews battling the fire during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010: path of the oil
See how wire entanglement inside a well bore mitigates the effects of blowout preventer failure in an oil well
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: controlled burn Deepwater Horizon oil spill: beach cleanup Deepwater Horizon oil spill: avian casualty Deepwater Horizon oil spill: skimming Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Pensacola Beach
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Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Facts & Related Content

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Facts

Date April 20, 2010 - September 19, 2010
Location Gulf Coast • Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America
Context drilling mud • offshore drilling

Did You Know?

  • As much as 20 percent of the oil spilled may have sunk to the bottom of the ocean, damaging deep-sea ecosystems.
  • The 3.19 million barrels found by the courts to have leaked during the spill is equal to over 130 million gallons.
  • In the process of reaching a settlement with BP, the largest natural-resource damage assessment ever was undertaken.

Photos and Videos

Deepwater Horizon oil rig: fire
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: debris and oil
Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010: path of the oil
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: controlled burn
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: beach cleanup
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: avian casualty
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: skimming
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Pensacola Beach
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: brown pelican
Barack Obama: Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Observe fireboat responding to crews battling the fire during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010
See how wire entanglement inside a well bore mitigates the effects of blowout preventer failure in an oil well
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Strange, Luther
Luther Strange
United States senator

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
List
Clouds of smoke billow up from controlled burns taking place in the Gulf of Mexico May 19, 2010. The controlled burns were set to reduce the amount of oil in the water following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BP spill
The Perils of Industry: 10 Notable Accidents and Catastrophes