an environmental disaster unfolds

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

An explosion on April 20 destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gul of Mexico and caused a massive leak that, by one estimate, may be gushing more than 1 million gallons of oil a day into the waters.

The spill has disrupted much of the Gulf region’s economy and has stirred criticism of the Obama administration’s response to what appears to be the worst oil disaster in American history.

See the full story from the NY Times

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the big picture: mount st. helens 30 years ago

Ash billows from the crater where the summit of Mount St. Helens had been only hours earlier during a huge eruption on May 18th, 1980. (USGS/Robert Krimmel)

On May 18th, 1980, thirty years ago today, at 8:32 a.m., the ground shook beneath Mount St. Helens in Washington state as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck, setting off one of the largest landslides in recorded history – the entire north slope of the volcano slid away. As the land moved, it exposed the superheated core of the volcano setting off gigantic explosions and eruptions of steam, ash and rock debris. The blast was heard hundreds of miles away, the pressure wave flattened entire forests, the heat melted glaciers and set off destructive mudflows, and 57 people lost their lives. The erupting ash column shot up 80,000 feet into the atmosphere for over 10 hours, depositing ash across Eastern Washington and 10 other states. Collected here are photos of the volcano and its fateful 1980 eruption.

Boston Globe: The Big Picture