La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles, CA - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com

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. Over time, the asphalt fossilized the remains. The result is an incredibly rich collection of fossils dating from the last ice age.

Fossils have been excavated from hundreds of pits in the park. Work started in the early 20th century. In the 1940s and 1950s there was great public excitement over the dramatic mammal fossils recovered. By the 2000s, attention had shifted to microfossils, to fossilized insects and plants, and even to pollen grains. 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 La Brea Tar Pits and Hancock Park are situated within urban Los Angeles, California, near the Miracle Mile district. In Hancock Park, asphalt (colloquially termed tar) seeps up from underground. The asphalt is derived from petroleum deposits which originate from underground locations throughout the Los Angeles Basin. 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.

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. 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. (visit link)

Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes Access fee (In local currency): .00 Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no Public Transport available: yes Parking Coordinates: Not Listed Website reference: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
No specific requirements, just have fun visiting the waymark.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   04/29/2022 icmsv visited it 07/03/2016 alynx visited it 07/01/2016 Awesnap visited it 03/11/2016 Benchmark Blasterz visited it 02/13/2016 PeterNoG visited it 06/18/2015 bluesnote visited it 08/24/2014 MD&EB visited it 05/29/2014 veritas vita visited it 11/14/2011 miatabug visited it 11/20/2010 kipster11 visited it 07/26/2010 sshelle visited it 04/17/2010 Sage Rat 5 visited it 04/05/2010 firesafe visited it 08/01/2009 geojerry7 visited it 07/29/2009 Team Caballero visited it 06/24/2009 Ludde Lump visited it 06/14/2009 Go Boilers! visited it 12/27/2008 California Bear visited it 08/15/2008 fatcat161 visited it 07/24/2008 saopaulo1 visited it 07/12/2003 WanderingRedneck visited it

View all visits/logs