The La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits offer a glimpse
of what Los Angeles was like at the end of the Ice Age, 40,000 to
100,000 years ago.
Saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths lived in the area and were
trapped in the pools of tar. Within the 23 acres of Hancock
Park, there are more than 100 tar pits—areas where crude oil
seeps to the surface.
The lighter part of the oil evaporates and asphalt is
left. As you walk
through the park, look for small areas surrounded by short
fences. These are some
of the smaller tar pits and you will be able to walk right up to
them.
Since excavation began in 1906, more
that one million bones have been recovered, representing more than
230 species of vertebrates. 159 kinds of plants and 234 kinds
of invertebrates have been identified. Because the asphalt relatively
quickly covers the items, the condition of the bones is
excellent.
Located throughout the park are
full-size replicas of Ice Age animals---giant sloths, a prehistoric
bear, and fighting saber-tooth cats. A family of mammoths, getting
entrapped in the tar lake can easily be seen from Wilshire
Blvd.
Located in the center of the Park,
the Page Museum is the
home of the largest collection of Ice Age plants and
animals. You can watch
bones being cleaned and repaired. There is no fee charged for the
museum on the first Tuesday of each month.
This block is not only the home of
tigers and mammoths, but also the Los Angeles County Museum of
Art.
Check these links for more
information on the La Brea Tar Pits:
Page Museum
UC Berkeley
USGS
You are within 75 feet of Team
Perks' cache, That Sinking Feeling (GCPF6N)
so be sure to go find it also. In the several days it took to
get this EarthCache approved, Team Perks decided that the Tar Pits
also needed a cache. Both caches were approved on the same
day.
