Just how big is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

On April 20, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon left 17 workers injured and 11 missing and presumed dead. Oil is spilling from a well 5,000 feet below sea level, discharging 200,000 gallons of crude oil a day according to the official estimate (though over 2 million a day, by private estimates). But just how big is that, really? Paul Rademacher of Google put together a website about the spill using Google Earth. You can compare the size of the oil spill to places like Manhattan and Rome.

Copyright © 2023 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.