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The coolest and most surprising part is that the tar pits are still there! Apparently the seeps have been there for tens of thousands of years. [0] (Fun LA tour
by hodgesrm 2y ago
The coolest and most surprising part is that the tar pits are still there! Apparently the seeps have been there for tens of thousands of years. [0] (Fun LA tourist activity: jump in yourself and contribute to the fossil record.)
I was similarly surprised to find that something similar occurs on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. This came to many people's attention after the Macondo well blowout. [1]
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Brea_Tar_Pits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Brea_Tar_Pits
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967064516300935 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09670...
- teachrdan 2y agoFun fact: la brea means "the tar", so the La Brea Tar Pits literally translates to "the the tar tar pits".
- envp 2y agoAnother joins the ranks of Chai Tea, Naan Bread, and Lake Michigan :D
- OJFord 2y agoTo be fair, 'naan bread' is like 'toona fish' or 'feta cheese' which AmE does in English anyway.
- SllX 2y agoThe others I knew but Lake Michigan I did not, which prompted me to look it up: > The name derives from a gallicized variant of the original Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (mishigami),[c] meaning "large water" or "large lake". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan TIL. To be fair, there is a whole landmass right next to that mishigami sharing a name we do need to distinguish it from.
- BobaFloutist 2y agoIt's kind of funny how much the sounds of mishigami feel like they could equally have come from Hebrew or Japanese. Interesting overlap of mouth-feel.
- mturmon 2y agoRelated fun fact: The actual tar pits, and the art museum adjacent to it, are basically at the intersection of La Brea Blvd. and La Cienega Blvd., which translates to: A main tourist attraction of LA is at the intersection of Tar Pits Blvd. and Swamp Blvd.
- conradev 2y agoYeah – they put cones around the park where the tar is still peeking through the grass. Watch your step!
- njarboe 2y agoI quite enjoy visiting the La Brea Tar Pits and often do when I'm in LA. The geologist in me really enjoys seeing the natural oil seeps. The area around the museum has large open grassy areas. Often new seeps develop in the grass and you'll see an orange cone placed next to a new spot of oil with bubbles slowly growing and busting with the strong smell of tar/asphalt.