document: USGS Finds 2,000-year-old Coral Near BP Oil Spill : Was it Damaged ? The USGS has found 2,000-year-old coral near the BP oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico . Scientists began studying the black coral before the oil began spewing into the ocean from the blown out well on April 20 , 2010 . The coral is about 21 miles away from the site . Scientists are concerned about the damage that the BP oil spill may have done to the 2,000-year-old coral in the Gulf of Mexico . USGS scientist Nancy Prouty said , '' `` They 're extremely old and extremely slow-growing . And there are big questions about their vulnerability and their ability for recovery . '' '' These black coral colonies are important in the ocean because they provide a place for fish and other marine life to live . They are extremely slow growing , so any damage they may have suffered will take centuries to fix . The BP oil spill has been a terrible tragedy for the Gulf of Mexico during this past year . If these corals have been seriously damaged , that is just another tragedy to add to the disaster . Because the corals feed on organic matter that sinks to the floor of the ocean , scientists believe that it will take a long time for it to recover from a disturbance in its ecosystem . The USGS is still working to determine if the BP oil spill has damaged the 2,000-year-old coral . Maps show the underwater slick moving away from the coral , but some dead corals have been found . This could have been due to the fact that the oil slick on top of the water was over the black coral colony during the spill . The BP oil spill has been terrible . While things appear to be getting better , the full extent of the damage from this spill may never be known . There is no doubt that the ocean and animals who live in it are not yet the same , and they may not be for many decades or centuries . © Copyright : News Today Online by Kate James at Gather.com
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