la-brea-tar-pits.visit-los-angeles.comLa Brea Tar Pits

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Rancho La Brea is a series of asphalt deposits that have trapped various types of animals, plants, mammals, birds, insects and yes, even dinosaurs, since the Ice Age in North America. Since Excavation of the pits started in 1908 and since then thousands of fossils have been taken out. Some of the fossil remains have been dated to 40,000 years ago. Scientists have removed mastodans, saber-tooth cats, giant ground sloths, individual plant cells, coyotes, horses, birds and even a pack of wolves. Whether plant life or roving animal, all the species were trapped in the sticky asphalt bog and died in the pits. Even though the area is commonly called the , it's not tar seeping to the surface, but asphalt. The asphalt was formed from ancient marine plankton deposits that have converted into an oil byproduct during the last 400 centuries. Pit 91 The most productive pit of the area is called "Pit 91". Each summer, paleontologists dig fossil remains out of Pit 91 and the entire operation can be viewed by the public. In one two-month period, researchers pulled out more than 1,000 items from Pit 91. Many of the fossils taken out of Pit 91 are on display at the Page Museum, named for George C. Page who financed the construction of the museum. Visitors can also watch Page Museum scientists clean, examine and classify recent finds. Among other exhibits, visitors can try...