La Brea Tar Pits
From Geology Final/ 08 Summer vaca in Los Angeles, United States on Jul 21 '08
see all photos »
The Tar Pits were a lot less bubbly then i had assumed they would be. Next to the main pit (it's more of a lake with bubbling asphalt) is the Page Museum. George C. Page is the founder of this museum which houses three million items. "Since 1906, more than one million bones have been recovered representing over 231 species of vertebrates. In addition, 159 kinds of plants and 234 kinds of invertebrates have been identified." www.tarpits.org
see all photos »
The fossils are displayed in the museum in categories of distinct species. The bones have a brown tone to them due to asphalt saturation. Here I learned more about the importance of fossils and how much information one bone can give to paleontologists as well as contribute to geological findings. Pit 91 was the most interesting pat of this leg of the trip. it was here that you saw how the fossils were excavated and learned about which kinds of animals and plants were found. I found the small tools interesting and appreciated that they had color coated flags to show where recent fossils were found.
see all photos »
I wish the museum had more documentation to give out. the plaques on the gates were repetitive and didn't include much on the geology side of things.
Where have you been lately?
Share your travels with friends & family

- Free Travel Blog
- Stunning maps
- Share experiences
- Automatic emails
- Unlimited photos
- Unlimited entries
Popular Los Angeles Hotels
- The Mosaic Hotel Beverly Hills
- Andaz West Hollywood
- Hotel Palomar Los Angeles - Westwood - a Kimpton Hotel
- Hotel Casa Del Mar
- Viceroy Santa Monica
- Courtyard by Marriott LAX
- Omni Los Angeles Hotel At California Plaza
- Best Western Sunset Plaza Hotel
- Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
- Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa















Would you like to comment or ask a question?