La Brea Tar Pits

La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles

The La Brea Tar Pits (or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits)

are a famous cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park

was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphalt or tar (brea

in Spanish) has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens

of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water.

Over many centuries, animals that came to drink the water

fell in, sank in the tar, and were preserved as bones. The

George C. Page Museum is dedicated to researching the tar pits

and displaying specimens from the animals that died there.