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56-411: Pitch Lake is a popular tourist attraction , including a small museum, from where official tour guides can escort people across the lake. The lake is mined for asphalt by Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago . The Pitch Lake has fascinated explorers and scientists, attracting tourists since its re-discovery by Sir Walter Raleigh in his expedition there in 1595 . Raleigh himself found immediate use for

112-469: A dead animal sank, the asphalt would soak into them, turning them dark-brown or black in color. Lighter fractions of petroleum evaporated from the asphalt, leaving a more solid substance, which then encased the bones. Dramatic fossils of large mammals have been extricated, but the asphalt also preserves microfossils : wood and plant remnants, rodent bones, insects, mollusks, dust, seeds, leaves, and pollen grains. Examples of some of these are on display in

168-571: A group of Spanish explorers led by Gaspar de Portolá , made the first written record of the tar pits in 1769. Father Juan Crespí wrote, While crossing the basin, the scouts reported having seen some geysers of tar issuing from the ground like springs; it boils up molten, and the water runs to one side and the tar to the other. The scouts reported that they had come across many of these springs and had seen large swamps of them, enough, they said, to caulk many vessels. We were not so lucky ourselves as to see these tar geysers, much though we wished it; as it

224-454: A hypothesized "carnivore trap" in which large herbivores entrapped in asphalt attracted predators and scavengers which then became entrapped while trying to steal a quick meal. However, new research with an eye towards microfossils has revealed a stunning diversity and abundance of many types of mammals. According to paleontologist Thomas Halliday, "Rancho La Brea Tar Pits... where big herbivores typically get stuck in tar which naturally seeps from

280-509: A local philanthropist. Construction began in 1975, and the museum opened to the public in 1977. The area is part of urban Los Angeles in the Miracle Mile District . The museum tells the story of the tar pits and presents specimens excavated from them. Visitors can walk around the park and see the tar pits. On the grounds of the park are life-sized models of prehistoric animals in or near the tar pits. Of more than 100 pits, only Pit 91

336-518: A picture of what is thought to have been a cooler, moister climate in the Los Angeles basin during the glacial age. Microfossils are retrieved from the matrix of asphalt and sandy clay by washing with a solvent to remove the petroleum, then picking through the remains under a high-powered lens. Historically, the majority of the mammals excavated from the La Brea deposits had been large carnivores, supporting

392-600: A pine tree, of a type now found in Central California 's woodlands. In 1913, George Allan Hancock , the owner of Rancho La Brea, granted the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County exclusive excavation rights at the Tar Pits for two years. In those two years, the museum was able to extract 750,000 specimens at 96 sites, guaranteeing that a large collection of fossils would remain consolidated and available to

448-481: A reasonable admission charge or even for free, others may be of low quality and overprice their goods and services (such as admission, food, and souvenirs) in order to profit excessively from tourists. Such places are commonly known as tourist traps . Within cities, rides on boats and sightseeing buses are sometimes popular. Novelty attractions are oddities such as the " biggest ball of twine " in Cawker City, Kansas ,

504-471: A reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history." Among the prehistoric Pleistocene species associated with the La Brea Tar Pits are Columbian mammoths , dire wolves , short-faced bears , American lions , ground sloths (predominantly Paramylodon harlani , with much rarer Megalonyx jeffersonii and Nothrotheriops shastensis ) and

560-732: A supposed UFO crash site near Roswell, New Mexico and the alleged Loch Ness monster sightings in Scotland . Ethnic communities may become tourist attractions, such as Chinatowns in the United States and the black British neighborhood of Brixton in London , England. Tourists also look for special local culinary experiences such as street kitchens in Asian metropolises or the coffeehouse culture in Central Europe . In particular, cultural property and

616-964: Is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Places of natural beauty such as beaches , tropical island resorts , national parks , mountains , deserts and forests , are examples of traditional tourist attractions which people may visit. Cultural tourist attractions can include historical places, sites of significant historic event , monuments , ancient temples , zoos , aquaria , museums and art galleries , botanical gardens , buildings and structures (such as forts , castles , libraries , former prisons , skyscrapers , bridges ), theme parks and carnivals , living history museums , public art ( sculptures , statues , murals ), ethnic enclave communities, historic trains and cultural events. Factory tours, industrial heritage, creative art and crafts workshops are

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672-662: Is a good example of a region marketed and branded as a place for tourists to visit, mainly known for its Châteaux of the Loire valley . A tropical island resort is an island or archipelago that depends on tourism as its source of revenue. The Bahamas in the Caribbean , Bali in Indonesia , Phuket in Thailand , Hawaii in the United States , Fiji in the Pacific, and Santorini and Ibiza in

728-458: Is a nearly intact mammoth skeleton, nicknamed Zed; the only pieces missing are a rear leg, a vertebra, and the top of its skull, which was sheared off by construction equipment in preparation to build the parking structure. These fossils were packaged in boxes at the construction site and moved to a compound behind Pit 91, on Page Museum property, so that construction could continue. Twenty-three large accumulations of tar and specimens were taken to

784-659: Is a registered National Natural Landmark . Tar pits are composed of heavy oil fractions called gilsonite , which seeps from the earth as oil. Crude oil seeps up along the 6th Street Fault from the Salt Lake Oil Field , which underlies much of the Fairfax District north of Hancock Park . The oil reaches the surface and forms pools, becoming asphalt as the lighter fractions of the petroleum biodegrade or evaporate. The asphalt then normally hardens into stubby mounds. The pools and mounds can be seen in several areas of

840-602: Is marketed or markets itself as a place for tourists to visit". It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps". Fátima town, for example, is a popular tourist destination in Portugal . Siem Reap town is a popular tourist destination in Cambodia , mainly owing to its proximity to the Angkor temples. The Loire valley , the third tourist destination in France ,

896-398: Is not enough to prevent destruction, robbery and looting. The founding president of Blue Shield International Karl von Habsburg summed it up with the words: “Without the local community and without the local participants, that would be completely impossible”. La Brea Tar Pits La Brea Tar Pits is an active paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles . Hancock Park

952-463: Is related to deep faults in connection with subduction under the Caribbean Plate related to Barbados Arc. The lake has not been studied extensively, but it is believed that the lake is at the intersection of two faults, which allows oil from a deep deposit to be forced up. The lighter elements in the oil evaporate under the hot tropical sun, leaving behind the heavier asphalt. Bacterial action on

1008-545: Is still regularly excavated by researchers and can be seen at the Pit 91 viewing station. In addition to Pit 91, the one other ongoing excavation is called "Project 23". Paleontologists supervise and direct the work of volunteers at both sites. As a result of a design competition in 2019, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County chose Weiss/Manfredi over Dorte Mandrup  and Diller Scofidio + Renfro to redesign

1064-634: The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota , or Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska , where old cars serve in the place of stones in a replica of Stonehenge . Novelty attractions are not limited to the American Midwest, but are part of Midwestern culture . A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is significantly dependent on revenues from tourism, or "a country, state, region, city, or town which

1120-527: The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the "Late Quaternary asphalt seeps and paleontological site of La Brea Tar Pits" in its assemblage of 100 geological heritage sites around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organization defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as "a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as

1176-616: The Last Glacial Period . On February 18, 2009, George C. Page Museum announced the 2006 discovery of 16 fossil deposits that had been removed from the ground during the construction of an underground parking garage for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art next to the tar pits. Among the finds are remains of a saber-toothed cat , dire wolves , bison, horses , a giant ground sloth , turtles, snails, clams, millipedes, fish, gophers, and an American lion . Also discovered

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1232-455: The Republic of Venezuela . The regional geology of southern Trinidad consists of a trend of ridges , anticlines with shale diapiric cores, and sedimentary volcanoes . According to Woodside, "host muds and/or shales become over pressured and under compacted in relation to the surrounding sediments...mud or shale diapirs or mud volcanoes result because of the unstable semi-fluid nature of

1288-556: The University of California, Berkeley led much of the original work in this area early in the 20th century. Contemporary excavations of the bones started in 1913–1915. In the 1940s and 1950s, public excitement was generated by the preparation of previously recovered large mammal bones. A subsequent study demonstrated the fossil vertebrate material was well preserved, with little evidence of bacterial degradation of bone protein. They are believed to be some 10–20,000 years old, dating from

1344-520: The state fossil of California, the saber-toothed cat ( Smilodon fatalis ). Contrary to popular belief, the tar pits don't contain dinosaur remains, as these were extinct before the pits formed. The park is known for producing myriad mammal fossils dating from the Wisconsin glaciation . While mammal fossils generate significant interest, other fossils including fossilized insects and plants, and even pollen grains, are also valued. These fossils help define

1400-621: The George C. Page Museum. Radiometric dating of preserved wood and bones has given an age of 38,000 years for the oldest known material from the La Brea seeps. The Chumash and Tongva people used tar from the pits to build plank boats by sealing planks of California redwood trunks and pieces of driftwood from the Santa Barbara Channel , which they used to navigate the California coastline and Channel Islands . The Portolá expedition ,

1456-466: The Mediterranean are examples of popular island resorts. France , the United States , and Spain were the three most popular international destinations in 2017. The total number of international travelers arriving in those countries was about 234 million, contributing 8.9%, 7.7%, and 14.9%, respectively, to the total GDP of those countries. Although some years back, Africa was lean on tourism,

1512-521: The Page Museum. These deposits are worked on under the name "Project 23". As work for the public transit D Line is extended , museum researchers know more tar pits will be uncovered, for example near the intersection of Wilshire and Curson. In an exploratory subway dig in 2014 on the Miracle Mile , prehistoric objects unearthed included geoducks , sand dollars , and a 10-foot limb (3.0 m) from

1568-472: The United States, owners and marketers of attractions advertise tourist attractions on billboards along the sides of highways and roadways, especially in remote areas. Tourist attractions often distribute free promotional brochures to be displayed in rest areas , information centers, fast food restaurants, and motel rooms or lobbies. While some tourist attractions provide visitors a memorable experience for

1624-572: The asphalt at low pressures creates petroleum in asphalt. The researchers indicated that extremophiles inhabited the asphalt lake in populations ranging between 10 and 10 cells/gram. The Pitch Lake is one of several natural asphalt lakes in the world, including La Brea Tar Pits ( Los Angeles ), the McKittrick Tar Pits ( McKittrick ) and the Carpinteria Tar Pits ( Carpinteria ) in the U.S. state of California , and Lake Guanoco in

1680-425: The asphalt to caulk his ship. He referred to the pitch as "most excellent... It melteth not with the sun as the pitch of Norway". Raleigh was informed of the lake’s location by the native Amerindians, who had their own story about the origin of the lake. The story goes that the indigenous people were celebrating a victory over a rival tribe when they got carried away in their celebration. They proceeded to cook and eat

1736-421: The author's personal assessments. Sometimes it is particularly emphasized that this particular tourist attraction has not yet been in the focus of the international tourism industry. Some of the sights are internationally known or target the national or local market. Some attractions are reserved for the local population or are rarely advertised because the main traffic routes and main airports are too far away. In

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1792-432: The available asphaltenes as a sole carbon and energy source. The microbiological activity is accompanied by a stronger evolution of gas consisting principally of methane with a considerable proportion of carbon dioxide, and which also contains hydrogen sulphide. 10°13′57″N 61°37′41″W  /  10.23250°N 61.62806°W  / 10.23250; -61.62806 Tourist attraction A tourist attraction

1848-423: The bones in the pits for the remains of pronghorn or cattle that had become mired. The original Rancho La Brea land grant stipulated that the tar pits be open to the public for the use of the local Pueblo . There were originally more than 100 separate pits of tar (or asphaltum) but most of those have been filled in with rock or dirt since settlement, leaving about a dozen accessible from ground level. In 1886,

1904-467: The community. Then in 1924, Hancock donated 23 acres (9.3 ha) to Los Angeles County with the stipulation that the county provide for the preservation of the park and the exhibition of fossils found there. The George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, part of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, was built next to the tar pits in Hancock Park on Wilshire Boulevard . It was named for

1960-484: The continent is currently regarded as the second fastest growing tourism region with over 67 million tourists visits to Africa in 2018. Ethiopia , with a growth rate of 48.6% in 2018, is at the top of the list of African tourist centers. Other tourist locations in Africa include Cape Town, South Africa , Giza Necropolis , Egypt , The Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya , Victoria Falls , Zimbabwe and Zambia . From

2016-466: The destination and contribute to the overall experience of the trip. The ultimate primary purpose of attractions is to attract the customer's attention so that they can come to a specific location and explore the various attractions on vacation. In the travel and tourism industry, attractions therefore play a particularly important role as this attracts tourists from all over the world. Tourist attractions are also created to capitalize on legends such as

2072-563: The event of war, many tourist attractions are a special goal in order to cause lasting damage to the enemy or to finance the war. International attempts are therefore made to protect and preserve these economic and cultural foundations of a community, city or country. There is intensive cooperation between the United Nations , UNESCO and Blue Shield International on the protection of cultural goods and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, cooperation between organizations and state authorities

2128-553: The first excavation for land pitch in the village of La Brea was undertaken by Messrs Turnbull, Stewart & co. . Union Oil geologist W. W. Orcutt is credited, in 1901, with first recognizing that fossilized prehistoric animal bones were preserved in pools of asphalt on the Hancock ranch. In commemoration of Orcutt's initial discovery, paleontologists named the La Brea coyote ( Canis latrans orcutti ) in his honor. John C. Merriam of

2184-480: The ground, and as a result, you get huge concentrations of just specifically herbivores. You get a herbivorous sample of the ecosystem and very few carnivores, except those that are trying to scavenge on the already dead carcasses that have just got stuck in the tar." Methane gas escapes from the tar pits, causing bubbles that make the asphalt appear to boil. Asphalt and methane appear under surrounding buildings and require special operations for removal to prevent

2240-656: The individual places of the UNESCO World Heritage Site have developed into tourist attractions. If too many tourists frequent individual places, this can lead to environmental pollution and resistance from the local population, such as in Barcelona or Venice. With regard to this whole subject, there are already lists of destinations that are not recommended to tourists. There are innumerable lists and reviews of tourist attractions. Visitor statistics, cultural significance, beauty or age are used and these always reflect

2296-466: The long axis of each bone were radiocarbon dated to 15,200 ± 800 BP (uncalibrated). If these cuts are in fact tool marks resultant from butchering activities, then this material would provide the earliest solid evidence for human association with the Los Angeles Basin. Yet it is also possible that there was some residual contamination of the material as a result of saturation by asphaltum, influencing

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2352-473: The methane-charged, undercompacted shales/muds." The mud volcanoes are aligned along east-northeast parallel trends. Woodside goes on to say, "The Asphalt Lake at Brighton represents a different kind of sedimentary volcanism in which gas and oil are acting on asphalt mixed with clay. This asphalt lake cuts across Miocene / Pliocene formations overlying a complicated thrust structure ." The first wells were drilled into Pitch Lake oil seeps in 1866. Kerosene

2408-461: The object of cultural niches like industrial tourism and creative tourism. Many tourist attractions are also landmarks . But sports events such as a soccer game, Formula 1 race or sailing regatta can also attract tourists. Tourists' expectations when visiting a particular place are related to several features of the chosen destination: culture, architecture, gastronomy, infrastructure, landscape, events, shopping, etc. These features attract people to

2464-430: The park, including by adding a pedestrian walkway framing Lake Pitt, which is 3,281 feet (1,000 metres) long. The museum is featured prominently in the 1992 cult classic film Encino Man , where the title character recollects he was previously a caveman during his exploration of the museum's exhibits. In respect of it being the "richest paleontological site on Earth for terrestrial fossils of late Quaternary age,"

2520-407: The park. This seepage has been happening for tens of thousands of years, during which the asphalt sometimes formed a deposit thick enough to trap animals. The deposit would become covered over with water, dust, or leaves. Animals would wander in, become trapped, and die. Predators would enter to eat the trapped animals and would also become stuck, a phenomenon called a predator trap . As the bones of

2576-611: The pitch. In the 1840s, Abraham Pineo Gesner first obtained kerosene from a sample of Pitch Lake bitumen . In 1887, Amzi Barber , an American businessman known as "The Asphalt King", secured a 42-year monopoly concession from the British Government for the Pitch Lake for his company, Barber Asphalt Paving Company . It was from this source that many of the first asphalt roads of New York City, Washington D.C., and other Eastern U.S. cities were paved. The origin of The Pitch Lake

2632-516: The primary motivations for a region to promote itself as a tourism destination is the expected economic benefit. According to the World Tourism Organization , 698 million people travelled to a foreign country in 2000, spending more than US$ 478 billion. International tourism receipts combined with passenger transport currently total more than US$ 575 billion – making tourism the world's number one export earner. Tourist attractions can: In

2688-466: The roofs of their houses". The La Brea Tar Pits and Hancock Park were formerly part of the Mexican land grant of Rancho La Brea . For some years, tar-covered bones were found on the property but were not initially recognized as fossils because the ranch had lost various animals—including horses, cattle, dogs, and even camels—whose bones closely resemble several of the fossil species. Initially, they mistook

2744-414: The sacred hummingbird which they believed possessed the souls of their ancestors. According to legend, their winged god punished them by opening the earth and conjuring the pitch lake to swallow the entire village, and the lake became a permanent stain and a reminder of their sins. The local villages believe this legend due to the many Amerindian artifacts and a cranium that have been discovered, preserved, in

2800-401: The tourism industry supply perspective, a destination is usually defined by a geo-political boundary, and destination marketing is most commonly funded by governments. From the traveler perspective, a destination might be perceived quite differently. Tourism generates substantial economic benefits for both host countries and tourists' home countries. Especially in developing countries, one of

2856-460: The weakening of building foundations. In 2007, researchers from UC Riverside discovered that the bubbles were caused by hardy forms of bacteria embedded in the natural asphalt. After consuming petroleum, the bacteria release methane. Around 200 to 300 species of bacteria were newly discovered here. Only one human has been found, a partial skeleton of La Brea Woman dated to around 10,000 calendar years (about 9,000 radiocarbon years ) BP , who

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2912-579: Was distilled from the pitch in the lake from 1860 to 1865. The Guayaguayare No. 3 well was drilled in 1903, but the first commercial well was drilled at the west end of the lake in 1903. Oil was then discovered in Point Fortin-Perrylands area, and in 1911, the Tabaquite Field was discovered. The Forest Reserve Field was discovered in 1914 and the Penal Field in 1941. The first offshore well

2968-423: Was 17 to 25 years old at death and found associated with remains of a domestic dog, so was interpreted to have been ceremonially interred. In 2016, however, the dog was determined to be much younger in date. Also, some even older fossils showed possible tool marks, indicating humans active in the area at the time. Bones of saber-toothed cats from La Brea showing signs of "artificial" cut marks at oblique angles to

3024-589: Was drilled in 1954 at Soldado. Evidence of an active microbiological ecosystem in Pitch Lake has been reported. The microbial diversity was found to be unique when compared to microbial communities analyzed at other hydrocarbon-rich environments, including La Brea tar pits in California, and an oil well and a mud volcano in Trinidad and Tobago. Archaeal and bacterial communities co-exist, with novel species having been discovered from Pitch Lake samples. Researchers have also observed novel fungal life forms which can grow on

3080-453: Was formed around a group of tar pits where natural asphalt (also called asphaltum, bitumen, or pitch; brea in Spanish) has seeped up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. Over many centuries, the bones of trapped animals have been preserved. The George C. Page Museum is dedicated to researching the tar pits and displaying specimens from the animals that died there. La Brea Tar Pits

3136-577: Was some distance out of the way we were to take, the Governor [Portolá] did not want us to go past them. We christened them Los Volcanes de Brea [the Tar Volcanoes]. Harrison Rogers, who accompanied Jedediah Smith on his 1826 expedition to California, was shown a piece of the solidified asphalt while at Mission San Gabriel , and noted in his journal, "The Citizens of the Country make great use of it to pitch

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