Anchorage, AK--An oil spill estimated to have dumped 201,000 to 267,000 gallons of crude into Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, on the North Slope. The area, which is between the Brooks Range and the Arctic Ocean, is the site of most of Alaska's oil reserves. The spill is much larger than the 38,000 gallons spilled back in 2001, but significantly smaller than the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound in 1989, which released 11 million gallons.

"I can confirm it's the largest spill of crude oil on the North Slope that we have record of," Linda Giguere of the state Department of Environmental Conservation told the Seattle Times.

The apparent source of the spill was a three-inch hole in the trans-Alaska pipeline, caused by corrosion. Crews have recovered 52,920 gallons so far, but efforts have been hampered by extremely cold weather.