Observation of a Subsurface Oil-Rich Layer in the Open Ocean

A layer of water at a depth of 200 meters containing 3 to 12 milligrams per liter of oil was found during February and March 1978 over a distance of 800 nautical miles in the southwest North Atlantic and the eastern Caribbean. The geochemistry and carbon-14 activity of the oil shows it to be a weath...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Harvey, George R., Requejo, Adolfo G., McGillivary, Philip A., Tokar, John M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1979
Subjects:
North Atlantic
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.205.4410.999
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.205.4410.999
Description
Summary:A layer of water at a depth of 200 meters containing 3 to 12 milligrams per liter of oil was found during February and March 1978 over a distance of 800 nautical miles in the southwest North Atlantic and the eastern Caribbean. The geochemistry and carbon-14 activity of the oil shows it to be a weathered crude, probably from a submarine seep. Although the dimensions of the oily layer were not determined, conservative estimates indicate that more than I megaton could have been present.

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