{"id":2786,"date":"2026-05-24T15:39:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/24\/pompeii-but-in-the-middle-of-a-massive-city-the-ice-age-fossil-site-hidden-in-los-angeles\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:39:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:39:49","slug":"pompeii-but-in-the-middle-of-a-massive-city-the-ice-age-fossil-site-hidden-in-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2786","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Pompeii, but in the middle of a massive city\u2019: the ice age fossil site hidden in Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1fw0voq\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1j5hrwi\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"64ac8c26-93b1-4589-9d08-d63865edaa76\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Life-size mammoth sculptures stand by a water pool at the La Brea Tar Pits museum\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/830fdfafdf720381ed692e7e80ccc97089a89daf\/0_0_1300_867\/master\/1300.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310.1192307692308\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Lake Pit at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, which first opened in 1977.<\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"64ac8c26-93b1-4589-9d08-d63865edaa76\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Lake Pit at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, which first opened in 1977.<\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">\u2018Pompeii, but in the middle of a massive city\u2019: the ice age fossil site hidden in Los Angeles<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-cj4vxp\">\n<p>La Brea Tar Pits \u2013 the only urban, active ice age excavation site in world \u2013 gets a mammoth face lift for the first time in nearly 50 years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">L<\/span>os Angeles is known for famous museum such as the Getty and the Lacma, but perhaps fewer people are aware that \u2013 in the heart of the city \u2013 lies a museum that contains one of the world\u2019s most remarkable fossil sites.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/tarpits.org\/la-brea-tar-pits-history\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">La Brea Tar Pits and Museum<\/a> is home to the remains of more than 2 million ice age flora and fauna, including mastodons and saber-toothed cats, that became trapped in oily pools that still bubble up today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Since opening in 1977, this unique site has drawn legions of tourists, school-age children and other visitors. It is perhaps best known for its vast, dark Lake Pit with a fiberglass family of giant mammoths despairing at their sticky fate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The research center, paleontology-themed museum and 5.2-hectare (13-acre) public park are the only urban, active ice age excavation sites in the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere\u2019s almost no other fossil site in the world that has this variety and number of fossils, with this quality of preservation,\u201d said Emily Lindsey, the museum\u2019s associate curator and excavation site director. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible; it\u2019s like Pompeii, but in the middle of a massive city which we\u2019ve been able to excavate and study on a vast scale for more than a century.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"291cd736-a403-47ed-afcf-e27ca2afa8ab\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man looking at bones \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/07d015935e2bd85d5c2dcc03129d2d00ba88d6ad\/0_0_1034_799\/master\/1034.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"343.8636363636364\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"291cd736-a403-47ed-afcf-e27ca2afa8ab\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Chester Stock, an American paleontologist, looks at bones at the museum.<\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Now, for the first time in its almost 50-year history, big changes are afoot. The museum is preparing to close in July for a big, two-year $240m renovation project that will transform the space and the surrounding park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The museum\u2019s current structure, hidden within grassy knolls, will remain largely the same, but the interior exhibition, research and learning spaces will be updated and reimagined. Dramatic walkways, bridges and other new landscape features will create a dynamic and fresh experience for park visitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The project started in 2019 with a public process initiated by the<a href=\"https:\/\/nhmlac.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County<\/a> (which owns and operates the museum and surrounding park) with extensive input from the community. In 2023, the subsequent design contest awarded the project to the New York design firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weissmanfredi.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Weiss\/Manfredi<\/a>. The firm has a history of designing notable parks and museums, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Brooklyn Botanic Garden<\/a>\u2019s visitor center, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Seattle_Art_Museum\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Seattle Art Museum\u2019s<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Olympic_Sculpture_Park\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Olympic Sculpture Park<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hunter%27s_Point_South\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Hunter\u2019s Point South<\/a> waterfront park.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"24085c83-c69f-4720-b124-b10e054581c8\" data-spacefinder-role=\"showcase\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-5h0uf4\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People walking into a building \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/92fbbdd5a5614a08cd4455cf964491ed5345b85b\/0_0_3840_2160\/master\/3840.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"250.3125\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"24085c83-c69f-4720-b124-b10e054581c8\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-9ktzqp\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A rendering of the new view of the museum from the parking lot.<\/span> Photograph: WEISS\/MANFREDI\/Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt\u2019s one of the only places that you can see the entire process of a scientific discipline in a single visit,\u201d said Lindsey, referring to the fact that the process from discovery to restoration of fossils all takes place publicly on site. \u201cAs someone very concerned about scientific literacy, and the current misunderstanding and mistrust of science, this is a really unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the process of science in a very intelligible, accessible way, and get people to understand how it\u2019s done and how it relates to their everyday lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"dcr-z9ge1j\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">T<\/span>he site\u2019s colorful history was born from an unusual geological feature. An underlying fault created an upwelling of oil that turns to ponds of tar, or asphalt, when it reaches the air and biodegrades. This area was well-known to the region\u2019s early human inhabitants; for thousands of years, the tar was used by the Chumash people to waterproof their boats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The site took on a new life at the turn of the 20th century during an oil boom in Los Angeles. Long before the existence of the Grove and Miracle Mile, oil derricks dotted the Wilshire Blvd corridor and much of the surrounding landscape. On then privately owned land known as Rancho La Brea, immediately adjoining present-day Lacma, the excavation for oil wells prompted an amazing discovery: a treasure trove of tar-stained bones from creatures that had mostly been extinct for at least 13,000 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The masses of jumbled bones were miraculously well-preserved by the tar that had permeated and encased them and had thus prevented organic decay. In addition, the fossil samples retain collagen, a boon to modern research since it allows for very accurate carbon dating.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"3422b7fe-4674-40f6-97cf-8b2efef6cb1f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man next to an elephant bone \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/dafd38f427b0042b34c721e42524483eb555e830\/534_228_2409_1863\/master\/2409.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"344.1407222914072\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"3422b7fe-4674-40f6-97cf-8b2efef6cb1f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Los Angeles tar pits became a remarkable fossil graveyard.<\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"e768ebc3-e27c-4f4f-ae4f-6ff8cca8d107\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-5\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man at an excavation site\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/8e38b712a840b93edcea9d860f46fffa142bee76\/0_0_3114_2286\/master\/3114.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"326.67630057803467\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-5\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"e768ebc3-e27c-4f4f-ae4f-6ff8cca8d107\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The site took on a new life at the turn of the 20th century during an oil boom in Los Angeles. <\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At the site, the task quickly shifted from drilling for oil to digging for fossils. During the peak years of the dig (1913-1915), about 750,000 remnants were unearthed. Among these strange trophies were all manner of late Paleocene fauna and megafauna like<a href=\"https:\/\/factanimal.com\/american-lion\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> American lions<\/a> (bigger than today\u2019s African lions) and<a href=\"https:\/\/bear.org\/bear-facts\/the-giant-short-faced-bear\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> giant short-faced bears<\/a>, which weighed up to 2,000 pounds and were among the largest terrestrial mammalian carnivores ever to exist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In fact, 90% of the remains found belong to carnivores or scavengers, leading to the theory that the pits formed a predator trap. According to this theory, a large herbivore like a mastodon would unwittingly get trapped in the tar seeps (which were probably camouflaged by water and fallen foliage), and its cries would draw in predators. Unfortunately for the predators, they would eventually succumb to the same fate as their prey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As a result, about <a href=\"https:\/\/ucmp.berkeley.edu\/quaternary\/labrea.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">59 mammal species and 135 bird species<\/a>, as well as abundant plant and insect life, form the backbone of the more than <a href=\"https:\/\/tarpits.org\/la-brea-tar-pits-history\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">2 million<\/a> specimens that have been excavated from what the <a href=\"https:\/\/iugs-geoheritage.org\/geoheritage_sites\/la-brea-tar-pits-rancho-la-brea-late-quaternary-asphalt-seeps-and-paleontological-site\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">International Commission on Geoheritage<\/a> calls \u201cthe richest paleontological site on Earth for terrestrial fossils of late <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/earth-and-planetary-sciences\/quaternary-period\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Quaternary<\/a> age\u201d.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"dcr-z9ge1j\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">T<\/span>he Weiss\/Manfredi renovation will maintain beloved features of the old site, such as the Lake Pit, a former quarry now filled with water and oil, and its perpetually panicked sculptural inhabitants, while modernizing other more dated elements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The La Brea Tar Pits\u2019 museum, originally known as the George C Page Museum, is a significant example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.architecturelab.net\/architecture\/styles\/brutalist-architecture\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">brutalist<\/a> architecture. The museum, which houses the exhibits, the vast fossil collection and the research center, is hidden inside high, grass-covered berms on all sides.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The footprint of the current museum will be retained, but the tropical-themed plants that occupy its courtyard will be replaced with native plants and trees more typical of Los Angeles during the Paleocene. An outdoor classroom will be created around the excavation sites, while new walkways and a pedestrian bridge hope to entice the visitors who frequent more famous neighboring museums, such as Lacma and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"a462e960-9037-4d33-a7d3-bf8a14d86a4b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"showcase\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-5h0uf4\">\n<div id=\"img-6\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A  man looking into a microscope while a young girl looks at him \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c00bfd458c472f87b791e921f1e8b5adc1a0b9b8\/0_0_1000_667\/master\/1000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.815\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-6\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"a462e960-9037-4d33-a7d3-bf8a14d86a4b\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-9ktzqp\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The fossil lab in the museum. <\/span> Photograph: Christina Gandolfo\/Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cRight now, you can be out in the park and not even see a museum,\u201d said Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/museums\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Museums<\/a> of Los Angeles County. \u201cYou could be in the museum and not think about the connection to the tar pits themselves. So, the whole project has been to reimagine it as a true indoor, outdoor experience that is more visible and accessible to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Inside, the museum will get a complete makeover. The Fossil Lab, the onsite research center, will retain its signature interior windows so that museum visitors can still watch as scientists and volunteers do the delicate work of preserving and restoring fossils. The collection will continue to expand, and its storage facilities will be brought up to date.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The well-known statues and skeletons of species such as the short-faced bear, dire wolves and mastodons will remain \u2013 but instead of being isolated on their own mounts, the new exhibits will put them in dynamic dioramas that aim to create a fuller appreciation of Los Angeles\u2019s ice age inhabitants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In an era of the rapid climate crisis and species endangerment, the new exhibits will tell the extinction story of the megafauna that lived here, as well as the survival and resilience of species like the coyote. The goal is to engage and educate the public about Los Angeles before humans arrived, while connecting that past to our current need to manage our ecosystems wisely.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"ff8c525a-280b-4da1-8576-6b439736424a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-7\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A rendering of an aerial view of the museum\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/13e178d4d1e494cabfb29a9895323cedd9a13c0d\/0_0_3102_2723\/master\/3102.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"390.63023855577046\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-7\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"ff8c525a-280b-4da1-8576-6b439736424a\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">An rendering of an aerial view of the museum. <\/span> Photograph: Weiss\/Manfredi\/Courtesy of NHMLAC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum undergoes a physical renovation, it\u2019s also crafting a new image that seeks to grow beyond its old reputation as primarily a kids\u2019 museum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cOf course, we want kids to come to inspire their curiosity, to wonder about their natural environment and to understand the process of science and to think about their future and what they could be doing,\u201d said Bettison-Varga. \u201cBut it is a place for everybody \u2013 cradle to cane.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">West Coast<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/science\/fossils\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Fossils<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/los-angeles\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Los Angeles<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/culture\/museums\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Museums<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98Pompeii,%20but%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20a%20massive%20city%E2%80%99:%20the%20ice%20age%20fossil%20site%20hidden%20in%20Los%20Angeles&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/24\/la-brea-tar-pits-museum?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F24%2Fla-brea-tar-pits-museum&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/24\/la-brea-tar-pits-museum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-jwg3xc\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Lake Pit at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, which first opened in 1977. Photograph: Courtesy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}