On April 20th, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which was anchored in 5,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, was destroyed by an explosion that killed 11 workers and caused what has become the largest oil spill in US history. When the ruptured well was finally sealed, and the flow of oil finally stopped completely, nearly 205 million gallons of oil had been released into the Gulf of Mexico. The environmental and economic damage was profound, and has yet to be fully quantified.
On Wednesday, October 27th, Dan Robertson, the Chair of MCC’s Chemistry and Geosciences Department and a former economic geologist with 17 years of experience in oil and mineral exploration, will offer a presentation on the Gulf Oil Spill, and on deep water drilling in general. Dan will discuss where the oil is located in the Gulf of Mexico, why it is found in that location, how the holes are drilled to look for it, and whether or not a particular well is sustainable. The presentation will take place in the Empire Room of the Warshof Conference Center, Flynn Campus Center at 12 PM, and will be streamed to room 4193 at DCC.
Matthew Fox
Sustainability Steering Committee
10/21/2010 |