This picture shows the oil slick off the coast of Louisiana. NASA's Aqua satellite took the picture on April 25, 2010.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA/MODIS.

Huge Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

A large oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire and sank in April 2010. Eleven workers were killed in the accident.

After the oil rig sank, a huge oil slick formed in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil slick is near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Clean-up crews haven't yet (as of April 28th) been able to close off the damaged oil well. Each day about 200,000 gallons of oil are leaking into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The oil slick has a size of about 600 square miles. It is less than 20 miles from the shore of Louisiana.

The Coast Guard set fire to part of the oil slick to try to get rid of some of the oil. They may try to burn more of it. They hope to stop the oil from coming ashore at wildlife refuges along the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. If the oil reaches the shore, it would harm birds and other wildlife.

Last modified April 29, 2010 by Randy Russell.

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Rivers

Rivers are very important to Earth because they are major forces that shape the landscape. Also, they provide transportation and water for drinking, washing and farming. Rivers can flow on land or underground...more

Several tornadoes hit Arkansas, 24 killed

Several severe thunderstorms hit the U.S. over the weekend. This caused lots of trouble in the Midwestern and Southern states. Fourteen tornadoes hit Arkansas on Saturday, March 1, 1997. 24 people were...more

Severe thunderstorms cause flooding, deaths

Several severe thunderstorms hit the U.S. over the weekend. This has caused a lot of trouble for the Midwestern and Southern states. Storms on Saturday, March 1, have killed at least 21 in Kentucky, Mississippi,...more

Tornadoes strike in Tennessee and Kentucky

Twelve tornadoes hit Tennessee early Saturday morning. At least 44 people were hurt. Two people were killed when six more tornadoes touched down in Kentucky. Both states had bad electrical, auto, and...more

Most recent global image of ozone concentration

The image at left shows the newest picture of ozone levels on our Earth. Ozone is a chemical that forms a protecting layer between ourselves and dangerous solar radiation. The image was taken from one...more

1996 Antarctic ozone hole below record average size

One of NASA's measuring instruments aboard a satellite has detected large decreases of ozone over Antarctica. Ozone is a chemical that forms in a layer in the Earth's atmosphere. Ozone protects our Earth...more

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4th Assessment Report

The 4th Assessment Report Summary for Policymakers of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is scheduled to be released on February 2, 2007 in Paris, France. The IPCC has been established...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA