What happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010?
The Gulf of Mexico was the site of a large oil spill that occurred on April 22, 2010, when an oil drilling platform, the Deepwater Horizon, suffered an explosion and sank into the Gulf about 50 miles (80 km) from Louisiana.
Did the Gulf of Mexico exist before the Late Triassic period?
The consensus among geologists who have studied the geology of the Gulf of Mexico is that before the Late Triassic, the Gulf of Mexico did not exist.
Why is the Gulf of Mexico called the jacuzzi of despair?
It has been called the "Jacuzzi of Despair". Because it is warmer than the surrounding water (65 °F or 18 °C compared to 39 °F or 4 °C), animals are attracted to it, but cannot survive once they enter it. Today, the Gulf of Mexico has the following seven main areas:
Did the Spanish ever explore the Gulf of Mexico?
Although the Spanish voyage of Christopher Columbus was credited with the discovery of the Americas by Europeans, the ships in his four voyages never reached the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, the Spanish sailed into the Caribbean around Cuba and Hispaniola. The first alleged European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico was by Amerigo Vespucci in 1497.
How are beaches formed by deposition?
Beaches are wave-deposited accumulations of sediment located at the shoreline. They require a base to reside on, usually the bedrock geology, waves to shape them, sediment to form them, and most are also affected by tides.
What types of landforms by sea water land forms by deposition?
The major depositional coastal landforms are beaches, spits, and bars. These are made up mainly from sediments deposited by waves.
What is weathering erosion deposition?
Weathering – The natural process of rock and soil material being worn away. • Erosion – The process of moving rocks and soil downhill or into streams, rivers, or oceans. • Deposition – The accumulation or laying down of matter by a natural process, as in the laying down of sediments in streams or rivers.
Which one is a depositional feature found at the coast?
The most familiar feature of a depositional coast is the beach.
Is a beach erosion or deposition?
Coastal erosion is the loss of coastal land. It occurs when sediments and other shoreline materials are picked up and moved away from the coast by water, wind, ice or gravity. Coastal deposition is the opposite of coastal erosion: the creation of new landforms or topography along the shoreline.
What is deposition and depositional landforms?
The geological process in which sediments, soil, rocks, sand, and pebbles are added to the landforms and increase its size, is known as a deposition. The depositional landforms usually occur when the accumulation of sediments and sand is more than that is removed.
What are some examples of erosion and deposition?
Rivers provide us with a great example of deposition, which is when the materials from erosion are dropped in a new location. Their moving waters pick up sand, dirt, and other sediments and then carry them downstream. Rivers often turn brown or murky because of all of the materials they carry.
Where does weathering erosion and deposition occur?
Weathering, erosion, and deposition occur to form every sedimentary rock that exists on Earth. Weathering is the creation of sediments, through exposure to wind or water tearing off pieces, or through ice or biological activity (such as tree roots and animal hooves) breaking at rock.
What causes soil erosion and deposition?
Soil erosion is a gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind detaches and removes soil particles, causing the soil to deteriorate. Soil deterioration and low water quality due to erosion and surface runoff have become severe problems worldwide.
Is longshore drift erosion or deposition?
Deposition occurs when the sea has less energy, eg in sheltered bays . Material that has been eroded from the coast is transported by the sea and later put down. Longshore drift is a process of transportation that shifts eroded material along the coastline. Waves approach the coast at an angle.
Is Tombolo a deposition or erosion?
A tombolo, from the Italian tombolo, meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated as ayre, is a deposition landform by which an island becomes attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island.
Is Lagoon a deposition or erosion?
Once formed, lagoons are modified by erosion and deposition. Some of the coastal lagoons known in historical times have been infilled by accumulation of inwashed sediments and organic deposits (e.g. in the Anzio district, and along the Adriatic coastline, in Italy).
What is the Gulf of Mexico?
The Gulf of Mexico is a major source area for the seafood industry. The Gulf supplies 72% of U.S. harvested shrimp, 66% of harvested oysters, and 16% of commercial fish (Potash and Phosphate Institutes of the U.S. and Canada, 1999).
What happens if the hypoxic zone continues?
Consequently, if the hypoxic zone continues or worsens, fishermen and coastal state economies will be greatly impacted. Click to enlarge. When production increases in an ecosystem, organic matter, such as algal cells and fecal pellets, increases.
What causes the dead zone in the Mississippi River?
The dead zone is caused by nutrient enrichment from the Mississippi River, particularly nitrogen and phosphorous. Watersheds within the Mississippi River Basin drain much of the United States, from Montana to Pennsylvania and extending southward along the Mississippi River.
What is the name of the Gulf of Mexico?
Gulf of Mexico. / 25°N 90°W / 25; -90 ( Gulf of Mexico) / 25°N 90°W / 25; -90 ( Gulf of Mexico) The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast ...
How many states are there in the Gulf of Mexico?
The US portion of the Gulf coastline spans 1,680 miles (2,700 km), receiving water from 33 major rivers that drain 31 states.
What happened to the Ixtoc I oil platform?
In June 1979, the Ixtoc I oil platform in the Bay of Campeche suffered a blowout leading to a catastrophic explosion, which resulted in a massive oil spill that continued for nine months before the well was finally capped. This was ranked as the largest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
How is the Gulf of Mexico connected to the Atlantic Ocean?
It is connected to part of the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits between the U.S. and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatán Channel between Mexico and Cuba. Because of its narrow connection to the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf experiences very small tidal ranges.
What happened to the Deepwater Horizon?
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, located in the Mississippi Canyon about 40 miles (64 km) off the Louisiana coast, suffered a catastrophic explosion; it sank a day and a half later. It was in the process of being sealed with cement for temporary abandonment, to avoid environmental problems. Although initial reports indicated that relatively little oil had leaked, by April 24, it was claimed by BP that approximately 1,000 barrels (160 m 3) of oil per day were issuing from the wellhead, about 1-mile (1.6 km) below the surface on the ocean floor. On April 29, the U.S. government revealed that approximately 5,000 barrels (790 m 3) per day, five times the original estimate, were pouring into the Gulf from the wellhead. The resulting oil slick quickly expanded to cover hundreds of square miles of ocean surface, posing a serious threat to marine life and adjacent coastal wetlands and to the livelihoods of Gulf Coast shrimpers and fishermen. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice O'Hare stated that the US government will be "employing booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants and controlled burns" to combat the oil spill. By May 1, 2010, the oil spill cleanup efforts were underway but hampered by rough seas and the "tea like" consistency of the oil. Cleanup operations were resumed after conditions became favorable. On May 27, 2010, The USGS had revised the estimate of the leak from 5,000 barrels per day (790 m 3 /d) to 12,000–19,000 barrels per day (3,000 m 3 /d) an increase from earlier estimates. On July 15, 2010, BP announced that the leak stopped for the first time in 88 days.
What basin is the Sigsbee?
Gulf of Mexico basin, which contains the Sigsbee Deep and can be further divided into the continental rise, the Sigsbee Abyssal Plain, and the Mississippi Cone. Northeast Gulf of Mexico, which extends from a point east of the Mississippi River Delta near Biloxi to the eastern side of Apalachee Bay.
What are the states that border Mexico?
It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southwest and south by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo; and on the southeast by Cuba .
Why did the explorers settle in the Gulf of Mexico?
They said this would protect shipping , and in the event of an emergency, rescue would be nearby.
What is the Gulf of Mexico?
The Gulf of Mexico is a large ocean basin near the Southeastern United States. It is a part of the Atlantic Ocean and is bounded by Mexico to the southwest, Cuba to the southeast, and the Gulf Coast of the United States on the north, which includes the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas ( map ).
Why is the Gulf of Mexico important?
Because it is a warm current, sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are normally also warm, which feeds Atlantic hurricanes and helps in giving them strength . Climate change that's warming waters further is also making them larger, as in increased intensity and amount of water. Hurricanes are common along the Gulf Coast, such as Katrina in 2005, Ike in 2008, Harvey in 2016, and Michael in 2018.
How deep is the Gulf of Mexico?
Most of the basin consists of shallow intertidal areas, but its deepest point is called Sigsbee Deep and has an estimated depth of about 14,383 feet (4,384 m).
How many people will live in the Gulf of Mexico by 2025?
In the United States the population of the coastal regions surrounding the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to number more than 60 million people by 2025, as states such as Texas (the second most populous state) and Florida (the third most populous state) are growing quickly.
How many rivers are there in the Gulf of Mexico?
The Gulf is Fed by 33 Rivers. The Gulf of Mexico today is bordered by 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of U.S. coastline and is fed with water from 33 major rivers that flow out of the United States. The largest of these rivers is the Mississippi River. Along the south and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, ...
What are the states that border the Gulf of Mexico?
Along the south and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatán. This region consists of about 1,394 miles (2,243 km) of coastline. The southeast is bordered by the northwest portion of Cuba, which includes the capital, Havana.
When was the Gulf of Mexico discovered?
The first European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico was by Amerigo Vespucci in 1497. 2. The Gulf was created first by continental plates colliding in the Late Triassic period, around 300 million years ago, and then by the sea floor sinking.
How many dolphins died in the 2011 Gulf of Mexico oil spill?
Since January 1, 2011, 67 dead dolphins have been found in the area affected by the oil spill, with 35 of them premature or newborn calves. 48. Oil and gas interests generate $124 billion, or over half of the total amount brought in by the four major industries of the Gulf of Mexico.
How many sharks are there in the Gulf of Mexico?
16. As many as 49 shark species are known to inhabit the Gulf of Mexico, including Silky, Bull, Lemon, Oceanic whitetip, Dusky, Tiger, Thresher, several species of hammerhead, and even whale sharks, just to name a few.
How many species of marine mammals are there in the Gulf of Mexico?
There are 29 marine mammal species found in the Gulf of Mexico, including such icons as bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, minke whales, sperm whales, and the West Indian manatee. Many of the species of marine mammals found here are threatened or endangered. 15.
Why is oil drilling bad for animals?
42. Oil exploration and drilling has been cited for problems among marine animals, from whales to fish to squid, causing noise pollution that makes it difficult for animals to communicate, navigate, and feed.
How many fishing trips were made in 2008?
In 2008, over 24.1 million recreational fishing trips were made, catching 190 million fish from the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding waters. 41. There are four major industries in the Gulf of Mexico -- fishing, shipping, tourism and of course, oil.
Is the Gulf of Mexico imperiled?
The Gulf is a spectacular space with an astonishing diversity of species, and yet it may also be one of the most imperiled. Here's some of the most interesting facts about the Gulf of Mexico that will inspire you to learn more about this unique place.
History of The Gulf of Mexico
Geography
- Dead zones can be found worldwide(link to NASA dead zone page). The Gulf of Mexico dead zone is one of the largest in the world. Marine dead zones can be found in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, off the coast of Oregon, and in the Chesapeake Bay. Dead zones may also be found in lakes, such as Lake Erie.
Coastal Wildlife
Coral Reefs
Human Effects on The Gulf of Mexico