Top 10 Worst Oil Spills

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill coming from the Deepwater Horizon platform that exploded and collapsed is still a piker compared to some of the big spills. As of the end of today, it was only 1/50th the size of the Exxon Valdez spill, which doesn't come close to breaking into the top 10.

Number one was the spill that happened during the Gulf War which, at 1.5 million tons, was over 10,000 times larger. The largest leak from a drilling rig platform occurred in 1979-1980 when the Ixtoc I oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, spilling 454,000 tons of oil in total. For a list of all the big oil disasters, click through to LiveScience.com. (More Deepwater Horizon stories.)