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In 2010, an oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill has become known as the ____.

A: Deepwater Horizon
B: The great spill
C: Atlantic empress
D: Sea star

User Emad
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Final answer:

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 following the explosion and sinking of an oil rig is known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which caused extensive environmental and economic damage.

Step-by-step explanation:

In 2010, an oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill has become known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The event marked the commencement of the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, initiated by the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig on April 20, 2010. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf, causing extensive damage to marine and shore ecosystems.

Oil, being a mixture of hydrocarbons that are immiscible with and less dense than water, rose to the surface, contaminating vast areas of the ocean and coastlines. The environmental impact was considerable, affecting the local economies, wildlife, and leading to an increase in the population of the oil-eating marine bacterium, Alcanivorax borkumensis.

User Stuartd
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A. The Deepwater Horizon

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User FurryMachine
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