Mississippi Canyon

[1] According to the U.S. Geological Survey GLORIA Mapping Program, it is the dominant feature of the north-central Gulf of Mexico.

[2] In a separate section of the same report, note is made of acreage in the Thunder Horse project, MC778, acquired in 1988.

Other projects noted for Mississippi Canyon include Thunder Horse areas/blocks MC775-778 and MC819-822, listed as completed grid PEA (programmatic environmental assessment) by BP.

[5] On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, located in the MMS Mississippi Canyon block 252, which is about 40 miles (64 km) off the Louisiana coast, suffered a catastrophic explosion; it sank a day-and-a-half later.

[7] The resulting oil slick quickly expanded to cover hundreds of square miles of ocean surface, posing a threat to marine life and adjacent coastal wetlands.

Off shore oil and gas fields in Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi Canyon leasing area is delineated in the upper right, south of the Mississippi River outlet.