COMPARATIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE METULA SPILL SITE, 21 YEARS LATER

Abstract

The area subjected to heavy oiling from the 1974 Metula spill of 53,500 tons along the south side of the First Narrows in the eastern Strait of Magellan (Chile) was revisited in December 1995. The marsh/tidal flat at Espora marsh shows some regrowth of vegetation, but oiled areas remain common with 5 to 15 cm of liquid oil present below a thin layer of fine sediment. The asphalt pavement in the sheltered area behind Espora split shows only a minor (≈2 m) reduction in extent. The previous band of asphalt pavement on the exposed, gravel-dominated low-tide terrace along the First Narrows of the strait has mostly been eroded, but disconnected remnants still remain. The Metula spill site continues to provide a field laboratory to study the long-term persistence of spilled oil.