Ixtoc I Blowout: The Highest Recorded Oil Well Pressure & Environmental Impact

The highest pressure ever recorded in an oil well blowout was 20,000 psi (pounds per square inch) during the eruption of the Ixtoc I oil well in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, in 1979. The blowout caused the release of approximately three million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and resulted in extensive damage to marine ecosystems.