The earth is full of wonderful and interesting places that continue to fascinate humans. Being a native of Southern California, I am well acquainted with asphalt lakes which are also known commonly as “tar pits”. One of the most famous asphalt lakes is the La Brea Tar Pits in Rancho La Brea.

The La Brea tar pits are a wealth of information with regard to the fossil record and extinct species from the area. Several fossils of mammoths, sabre toothed cats, dire wolves, short-faced bears, ground sloths, and even a Native American woman have been found in the tar pits. Fossils of plants, insects, and pollen grains have also been found.

You may think such a site is unique. Well, it certainly is rare, but there are other asphalt lakes around the world. There are five that are well known. They are:

• Pitch Lake at La Brea, Trinidad and Tobago
• McKittrick, California (near Bakersfield)
• Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, California
• Lake Bermudez, Venezuela

Many of these asphalt lakes have at one time or another been sources of asphalt used in making the roads that we drive on. Nearly all of them are good sources of fossils, as animals come to drink the water that sits on the surface of the lakes and end up falling into the tar from which they cannot escape.

If you get the chance, take time to visit one of these fascinating places.