When an oil spill happens, does the oil spread quickly or slowly?
A. When an oil spill happens, it spreads very rapidly unless it is contained by something (like a boom or a boat slip in a harbor). The lighter (less dense) the oil, the faster it spreads out to form a very thin sheen. For example, gasoline spreads faster than a heavy black oil, such as #6 fuel oil. Faster currents and winds can make oil spread faster. Temperature can sometimes make a difference in how fast an oil spreads. Colder oil is more viscous (doesn’t flow as well) and spreads more slowly. If it gets cold enough, oil doesn’t flow like a fluid anymore, but acts more like a solid (like tar or silly putty). We have to remember that when responding to oil spills in arctic areas. But under most conditions, within a very short period of time (minutes to a few hours for large spills), even very heavy oil has usually spread out enough that it is about as thin as a coat of paint on the wall.
