Oil Spill PICTURES: Effects Of Gulf Oil Spill In Photos

The effects of the oil spill last week are becoming more and more apparent and oil spill pictures provide a dramatic look at the devastation.

The oil spill was caused by an explosion at an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The leak is currently releasing 5,000 barrels of oil per day, and efforts to manage the spill with controlled burning, dispersal and plugging the leak have been unsuccessful.

This oil spill is on track to become the worst oil spill in history, surpassing the damage done by the Exxon Valdez tanker that spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the ecologically sensitive Prince William Sound in 1989.

Here are a series of oil spill pictures, depicting the scene in the Gulf of Mexico and the serious threats being posed to humans, the environment, and wildlife in the region.