On July 14, 2010, a silvery gray patch of oil stretched across the Gulf of Mexico about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of the tip of the Mississippi River Delta.
The harsh climate of the northern Caspian Sea—and gas rich in corrosive hydrogen sulfide—has complicated efforts to tap one of the largest gas and oil reserves discovered in decades.
The Eagle Ford Shale is one of several gas and oil plays in North America that has taken on new life due to horizontal drilling technology and fracking.