ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF AN OIL SPILL ON THE DISASTER ARCHAEOLOGY OF LOUISIANA’S GULF COAST

Summary

In April of 2010, the Macondo well blowout and Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion led to the discharge of an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil from Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (MC 252) in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. Within three months the Macondo blowout became the largest marine oil spill in history, impacting more than 1,000 miles of shoreline. Disaster response and cleanup were followed by studies of subsequent impacts on coastal and marine ecology, natural resources, health, and lifeways of people affected by the spill. The long-term effects on cultural resources are only now beginning to be understood. Eight archaeological sites on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana were assessed for the effects of hydrocarbon contamination from the Macondo oil spill as part of a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Hydrocarbons found in sediment samples and ceramic sherds have been sourced to MC 252. In addition to the effects on archaeometric techniques and site formation processes, we consider the implications for future archaeological investigations, cultural resource management planning, and disaster archaeology on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16840