Dive Brief:

• An exploratory shaft has been constructed on the site of a subway extension in Los Angeles to recover fossils up to two million years old. 
• The shaft is a joint effort between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, and the LACMA. 
• Paleontologists have uncovered a wealth of ancient fossils at the site, including a rock that might contain a two million-year-old sea lion skull. 

Dive Insight:

When construction on the subway extension begins next year as scheduled, paleontologists and construction workers will work together to maintain and preserve any fossils that may be found. LACMA is no stranger to these types of projects: In 2006 they helped discover 23 fossil deposits on the site of a new underground construction project. The subway expansion will use techniques from this past discovery to transport any fossils that may be unearthed during building, which will hopefully help avoid long delays in construction.