Huge Oil Spill!
The Deepwater Horizon (or BP oil spill)
What happened
Breaking News! The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill happened on April 21st, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. It is also called the BP oil spill. On that day, 470,779 tons of crude oil spread through the ocean. Deepwater Horizon was also known as the largest accidental oil spill in the world!
11 people died and weren't found again in the oil spill. The fire burned for 36 hours before the ship sank, and hydrocarbons (a compound of hydrogen and carbon, such as any of those that are the chief components of petroleum and natural gas) leaked into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was closed and sealed.
The Destruction
A picture of the damage caused by the deepwater horizon.
The animals
A picture of how badly the animals got hurt.
The area
A picture of how much area the BP oil spill covered: 2,500 to 68,000 sq mi (6,500 to 176,100 km)
The Animals
Birds of the sea became fatally entangled in oil scum. Dead fish floated to the surface. Dolphin populations decreased. More than 8,000 birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals were found injured or dead in the six months after the spill. This all happened!
How they cleaned it up
Cherrington Beach Cleaner? Check. HORD? Check. Sand-Washing Unit? Check. Navy MZ-3A Airship? Check. A Whale? Check. Wait, a whale? It's not a whale. A Whale is the world's largest oil-skimming vessel. They used all of these machines to contain and remove the oil from the ocean.