tech
'Pompeii, but in the middle of a massive city': the ice age fossil site hidden in Los Angeles
La Brea Tar Pits – the only urban, active ice age excavation site in world – gets a mammoth face lift for the first time in nearly 50 years
TL;DR
- The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is a unique urban, active ice age excavation site containing over 2 million ice age flora and fauna remains.
- The museum is closing for a two-year, $240 million renovation project starting in July, designed by Weiss/Manfredi.
- The project will update interior spaces and landscape features, transforming the site into a more dynamic and accessible experience.
- The tar pits are a predator trap, with a high percentage of carnivore remains suggesting large prey became trapped and attracted predators.
- The renovation aims to showcase the process of science and connect the past to present-day ecosystem management, appealing to all ages.
- The site's history includes use by the Chumash people and discovery during an early 20th-century oil boom, yielding well-preserved fossils.
- New exhibits will feature dynamic dioramas and tell the story of megafauna extinction and species resilience.