Three sculptures of mammoths at La Brea Tar Pits.

The Page Museum, Hancock Park, interprets La Brea

La Brea Tar Pits (or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits) are a famous cluster of tar pits located in Hancock Park in the urban heart of Los Angeles, California, United States. A tar pit, or more accurately known as an asphalt pit, is a geological occurrence where subterranean Bitumen leaks to the surface creating a large Hancock Park is a park in Miracle Mile Los Angeles California which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Asphalt (colloquially termed tar, which in Spanish is termed brea, see below) has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years, forming hundreds of sticky pools that trapped animals and plants which happened to enter. Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum Tar is a viscous black Liquid derived from the Destructive distillation of organic matter Over time, the asphalt fossilized the remains. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. The result is an incredibly rich collection of fossils dating from the last ice age. "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period

Fossils have been excavated from hundreds of pits in the park. Work started in the early 20th century. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on In the 1940s and 1950s there was great public excitement over the dramatic mammal fossils recovered. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands By the 2000s, attention had shifted to microfossils, to fossilized insects and plants, and even to pollen grains. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. These fossils help define a picture of what is thought to be a cooler, moister climate present in the Los Angeles basin during the glacial age.

The George C. Page Museum in Hancock Park, part of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, presents these discoveries. George C Page (1901—1999 was an American Real estate developer, Shipper, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; he is best-known as The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History Science Of more than a hundred pits, one (Pit 91) continues to be regularly excavated for two months each summer, under the watchful eyes of tourists. ^[1] The park's location in a major urban center, the history of dramatic discoveries, and excellent presentation in the Page Museum combine to make the La Brea Tar Pits a famous and accessible paleontological site.

Location and formation of the pits

The Tar Pits in 1910; note the oil derricks in the background

The La Brea Tar Pits and Hancock Park are situated within urban Los Angeles, California, near the Miracle Mile district. The Miracle Mile is an area in the Mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles California, consisting of a roughly one-mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax In Hancock Park, asphalt (colloquially termed tar) seeps up from underground. Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum Tar is a viscous black Liquid derived from the Destructive distillation of organic matter The asphalt is derived from petroleum deposits which originate from underground locations throughout the Los Angeles Basin. Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal Sediment -filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in The asphalt reaches the surface at several locations in the park, forming pools. Methane gas also seeps up, causing bubbles which makes the asphalt appear to boil. Asphalt and methane also appear under surrounding buildings, requiring special operations to remove, lest it weaken the buildings' foundations. It was recently discovered that the bubbles are caused by hardy forms of bacteria embedded in the natural asphalt that are eating away at the petroleum and releasing methane; of the bacteria sampled so far, about 200 to 300 are previously unknown species. The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have ^[2]

Gas bubble slowly emerging from a smaller tar pit at La Brea Tar Pits.

This seepage has been happening for tens of thousands of years. From time to time, the asphalt would form a pool deep enough to trap animals, and the surface would be covered with layers of water, dust, and leaves. Animals would wander in, become trapped and eventually die. Predators would also enter to eat the trapped animals, and themselves become stuck.

As the bones of the dead animals sink into the asphalt, it fossilizes them, turning them a dark brown or black color. Lighter fractions of petroleum evaporate from the asphalt, leaving a more solid substance which holds the bones. A fraction in Chemistry is a quantity collected from a sample or batch of a substance in a fractionating Separation process. Apart from the dramatic fossils of large mammals, the asphalt also preserves very small "microfossils", wood and plant remnants, and even pollen grains.

Radiometric dating of preserved wood and bones has given an age of 38,000 years for the oldest known material from the La Brea seeps, and they are still ensnaring organisms today. Radiometric dating (often called radioactive dating) is a technique used to date materials usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring

La Brea animals and plants

Saber-toothed cat and giant sloth models on display at the La Brea Tar Pits Museum.

Among the prehistoric species associated with the La Brea Tar Pits are mammoths, dire wolves, short-faced bears, ground sloths, and the state fossil of California, the saber-toothed cat, Smilodon californicus. A mammoth is any Species of the Extinct Genus Mammuthus. These Proboscideans are members of the elephant family and The Dire Wolf ( Canis dirus) is an extinct carnivorous Mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North Arctodus simus, also known as the giant short-faced bear is an extinct species of Bear. Ground sloths are a diverse group of Extinct Sloths Mammals in the edentate Superorder Xenarthra. Most American states have made a state fossil designation in many cases during the 1980s. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Only one human has ever been found, a partial skeleton of a woman, dated at approximately 9,000 BP ([1]). Before Present (BP years are a time scale used in Archaeology, Geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred Much of the early work in identifying species was performed in the early 20th century by John C. Merriam of the University of California. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on This is the article about John Campbell Merriam the American paleontologist The University of California ( UC) is a Public university system in the state of California.

The park is known for producing myriad mammal fossils dating from the last ice age. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period While mammal fossils occupy significant interest, other fossils, including fossilized insects and plants, and even pollen grains, are also valued. These fossils help define a picture of what is thought to be a cooler, moister climate present in the Los Angeles basin during the glacial age. Among these fossils are microfossils. Microfossils are retrieved from a matrix of asphalt and sandy clay by washing with a solvent to remove the petroleum, then picking through the remains under a high-powered lens.

La Brea may be the only excavation site in the world where the predators found outnumber prey. The reason for this is unknown but one credited theory is that a large prey animal (say, a mastodon) would die naturally or accidentally become entrapped in a tar pit, attracting numerous predators across long distances. Mastodons or Mastodonts (from Greek μαστός and οδούς, meaning " Nipple tooth" are members of the extinct This so-called predator trap would kill many animals that found themselves stuck along with their prey. A predator trap is a natural hazard such as a Tar pit. Predators become attracted to struggling animals that have become entrapped in viscous or glutinous material such as a Another theory, specific to the Dire Wolf, suggests that both prey and predators may have been trapped accidentally during the hunt. The Dire Wolf ( Canis dirus) is an extinct carnivorous Mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North Since wolves hunt in packs, each prey animal could take several wolves with it.

Mammals

Below is a partial list of extinct and extant animals with their scientific names included on the right side. This is a selection from the complete catalogue.

Further information

Brea is Spanish for "tar", making "The La Brea Tar Pits" a redundant expression meaning "The The Tar Tar Pits" (an example of pleonasm). The California Condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) is a North American Species of Bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae Eagles are large birds of prey which are members of the Bird order Falconiformes and family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera A falcon (fɔlkən or fælkən is any Species of raptor in the Genus Falco. Teratorns were very large birds of prey who lived in North and South America from Miocene to Pleistocene. A turkey is either of two extant Species of large Birds in the Genus Meleagris native to North America. Vultures are scavenging Birds feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead Animals Vultures are found on every continent except Antarctica and The arroyo chub Gila orcuttii is a Cyprinid Fish found only in the coastal streams of southern California, United States. A garter snake is any Species of North American Snake within the Genus Thamnophis. Bull Snake is a Species ( Pituophis catenifer) and also a Subspecies ( Pituophis catenifer sayi of large non- venomous The rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of Salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous Snakes, genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. Salamander (orig from Persian: sām, "fire" and andarūn, "within" is the common name for a group of approximately 500 Species The three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is a Fish native to much of northern Europe, northern Asia and North America A tree frog or tree toad is any Frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in an Arboreal state A toad can refer to a number of Species of Amphibians in the order Anura. True flies are Insects of the Order Diptera ( Greek: di = two and pteron = wing possessing a single pair of Dung beetles are beetles which feed partly or exclusively on Feces. Grasshoppers are Insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. Woodlice (known by many Common names see below) are Crustaceans with a rigid segmented long Exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs Scorpions are eight-legged Carnivorous Arthropods They are members of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. The termites are a group of Social Insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera (but see also taxonomy Water flea is a generic term for a number of small aquatic Crustacea characterised by their jumping or jerky mode of swimming Juniperus californica ( California Juniper) is a Species of Juniper native to southwestern North America; as the name implies The Coast Live Oak ( Quercus agrifolia) is an Evergreen Oak, highly variable and often shrubby native to the California Floristic Province Ragweeds ( Ambrosia) also called bitterweeds and bloodweeds, are a Genus of flowering Plants from the sunflower The raspberry (plural raspberries) is the edible Fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living Species of the Genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly This article is about the plant for other uses see Thistle (disambiguation. Walnuts (genus Juglans) are Plants in the family Juglandaceae. Pleonasm is the use of more Words (or even word-parts) than necessary to express an Idea clearly The "tar" pits were used as a source of asphalt (for use as low-grade fuel and for waterproofing and insulation) by early settlers of the Los Angeles area. Early settlers mistook the bones in the pits for the remains of unlucky pronghorns or local cattle that had become mired. The pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana) also pronghorn antelope or prong buck, is a species of Ungulate Mammal native to interior

Rancho La Brea is the most famous, but there are two other asphalt pits with fossils in southern California: in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County and McKittrick, in Kern County. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in the southeastern extremity of Santa Barbara County California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura Santa Barbara County is a County located on the Pacific coast of the southern portion of the U McKittrick is a Census-designated place (CDP in Kern County, California, United States. Kern County is a County located in the southern Central Valley of the U There are other fossil-bearing asphalt deposits in Texas, Peru, Trinidad, Iran, Russia and Poland. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ˈtrɪnɪdæd ən təˈbeɪgoʊ is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

For other rich deposits, fossilized where they occurred, see Lagerstätten. A Lagerstätte ( German; literally place of storage; plural Lagerstätten) is a sedimentary deposit that exhibits extraordinary fossil

La Brea in fiction

Mammoth display models at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles's Miracle Mile District

• In the 1997 pseudo-scientific fantasy film Volcano, a volcano grows out of the largest pool of tar (after the mammoth in the diorama sinks into it), spewing a river of hot lava down Wilshire Boulevard. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Miracle Mile is an area in the Mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles California, consisting of a roughly one-mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Volcano is a 1997 Disaster Action film starring Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, and Don Cheadle. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures
• The pits were also featured in the final scene of the movie Miracle Mile, as well as several other movies representative of Los Angeles. Miracle Mile is a 1988 thriller film directed by Steve De Jarnatt, and starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham that
• In Steven Spielberg's 1979 film 1941, Captain Wild Bill Kelso, played by John Belushi, shoots down a plane that he mistook for a Japanese plane into the La Brea Tar Pits. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. 1941 is Steven Spielberg 's fourth theatrical film written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. John Adam Belushi ( January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American Comedian, Actor and Musician
• In Last Action Hero, the character "Jack Slater" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) falls into the tar pits but quickly swims out and easily wipes himself clean, which the film's protagonist points out as an action-film cliché. Last Action Hero is a 1993 action comedy Film directed by John McTiernan. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor
• The tar pits are also featured in a key scene in "Alan Smithee's" Burn Hollywood Burn. For the 1997 film see An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn, Alan Smithee (or the alternate spellings Allen Smithee Alan Smythee An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998
• The episode "That's Lobstertainment!" of Futurama depicts an animated version of the tar pits. "That's Lobstertainment!" is the eighth episode in season three of Futurama. Futurama is an Emmy Award -winning animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and Fry notices a caveman skeleton with club and wearing an animal skin, causing him to exclaim, "I don't believe it, Sylvester Stallone!"
• In The Two Jakes a scene takes place at the La Brea Tar Pits. Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6 1946 is an American Actor, director, producer and Screenwriter. The Two Jakes is a 1990 American Detective film, the sequel to the 1974 film Chinatown.
• Hidden underneath the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits is the secret base of the heroes of Brian K. Vaughan's comic book Runaways. Brian Keller Vaughan (born 1976, Cleveland Ohio) is an American Comic book and Television Writer. Runaways is a multiple award-winning series of comic books from Marvel Comics.
• In My Girl 2, a scene occurs in which Nick pretends to throw Vada's very special ring into the tar pits. My Girl 2 is a 1994 Comedy-drama movie starring Anna Chlumsky, Dan Aykroyd, Christine Ebersole, Jamie
• In The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets an Elephant", they visit a tar pit attraction modeled on the La Brea Tar Pits. " Bart Gets an Elephant " is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons ' fifth season.
• In the novel Mammoth by John Varley, a large part of the plot occurs in and around La Brea in the past and present. John Herbert Varley (born August 9, 1947 in Austin Texas) is an American Science fiction Author.
• In the novel City Of Bones by Michael Connelly The tar pits are mentioned in connection with Los Angeles oldest known murder victim who was murdered 9000 years ago. For the New Zealand politician see Mick Connelly Michael Connelly (born July 21, 1956, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• In the 1948 Warner Brothers cartoon "My Bunny Lies Over the Sea," Bugs Bunny is tunneling to Los Angeles intending to visit the La Brea Tar Pits and accidentally winds up in Scotland. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and My Bunny Lies over the Sea, a Warner Bros Merrie Melodies cartoon was released on December 4 1948 Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. [3] That sets up this heavily-brogued line by the kilted Scotsman that Bugs meets: "Therrr'es no La Brrrea Tarrr Pits in Scotland!"
• In an episode of Kong: The Animated Series, Kong and his human friends go to Los Angeles where they fight the series villain Ramone De La Porta in front of the La Brea Tar Pits. An animated series that continues what happened after the movie King Kong. The villains use the (non-existent) dinosaur bones in the pits to create monsters which Kong fights.
• In the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs, which takes place in prehistoric times, there is a reference to the pits in Bob LaBrea, an ancient dinosaur chief, for which the main characters' school, LaBrea High School, is named, despite the fact that no dinosaur bones have been found in the Tar Pits. Dinosaurs is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on ABC from April 26, 1991 to July 20, 1994.
• The Mighty Max series features an episode entitled Tar Wars which is centered around the tar pits. Mighty Max is an animated action/ sci-fi / horror Television series which aired from 1993 to 1994 to promote the British Mighty Max is an animated action/ sci-fi / horror Television series which aired from 1993 to 1994 to promote the British
• The Flintstones regularly make reference to the La Brea Tar Pits though no dinosaur or hominid bones (beyond those of a woman) have been found. The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC.
• In the 1990 film Bad Influence, a scene occurs in which James Spader's & Christian Clemenson's characters attempt to cover up a murder committed by Rob Lowe's character by placing a deceased woman in the La Brea Tar Pits. Bad Influence is a 1990 American film starring Rob Lowe and James Spader. Her body is pulled from the pit the following day with emergency rescue personnel hovering over the actual pit.
• The Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode PDA contains a parody of the La Brea Tar Pits which puts its location as Trenton, New Jersey. Aqua Teen Hunger Force (also known as ATHF) is an American Animated television series shown on Cartoon Network as part " PDA " is the sixteenth episode of the Animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
• The main protagonist of Robert Masello's horror novel, "The Bestiary" works on a dig at the La Brea Tar Pits. Though not integral to the story, the discovery of the 9000-year old fossilized remains of a couple forms one of the subplots of the book.
• The site is frequently mentioned in the novelty song Pico and Sepulveda. Pico and Sepulveda is a song by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra (stage name for Freddy Martin 's band
• In the 1990s PBS game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Top Grunge stole the La Brea Tar Pits. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? is a popular children's television Game show loosely based on the computer games of the same name created

See also

• List of fossil sites (with link directory)

References

External links

• Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits
• UCMP Berkeley website describes the geology and paleontology of the asphalt seeps.
• Setting the La Brea site in context.
• La Brea Tar Pits Visitor Guide
• My Bunny Lies Over The Sea, a Bugs Bunny cartoon that mentions the La Brea Tar Pits

• La Brea Tar Pits is at coordinates 34°03′46″N 118°21′22″W / 34.062828, -118.355992 (La Brea Tar Pits)Coordinates: 34°03′46″N 118°21′22″W / 34.062828, -118.355992 (La Brea Tar Pits)