La Brea Tar Pits: Fossils found in the art museum parking garage
I think it’s amazing that Ice Age fossils are still being found, on Wilshire Blvd, in the middle of Los Angeles, just miles from downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills, at the La Brea Tar Pits.
The first published mention of the occurrence of extinct animals in the area was made in 1875. Since then, more than 100 excavations have been made at the La Brea Tar Pits. Many of the fossils found are on display at the George C. Page Museum in the middle of the Tar Pits. Models of the animals are also on display in the museum and throughout the grounds.
The name Tar Pits is misleading because it is actually Asphalt. Asphalt is the lowest grade of crude oil, and it can be found seeping to the surface throughout the Tar Pits park.
The photo below shows asphalt seeping up next to where I parked in the Tar Pits parking lot.
In 2006, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), next door to the Tar Pits, began work on a new underground parking garage. During the course of construction, 16 new fossil deposits were discovered, including an almost-complete skeleton of an adult mammoth that they call "Zed". In order to save the fossils and continue the construction, 23 large wooden boxes were built around each deposit. The boxes were moved to their present location at La Brea Tar Pits, and excavation began on what is referred to as "Project 23." This work is ongoing and visitors can watch the scientists work on Project23.
All photos were taken in July 2023.