NATLANDITE: A DIVERSE FOSSIL DEPOSIT IN DOWNTOWN Los Angeles

NATLANDITE: A DIVERSE FOSSIL DEPOSIT IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, CALFORNIA

In 1969-1970, a richly diverse fossil deposit of sea shells and other marine invertebrates was unearthed during the excavation at the Atlantic Richflield (ARCO) Plaza at 6^th and Flower in downtown Los Angeles. The fossils caught the eye of Dr. Natland, a retired geologist from ARCO. He worked in the Richfield Building before it was demolished to make way for the Arco Plaza to be built on the same site as the former building. Being at “ground zero,” he could watch the progress as workers excavated the site. A fossil-bearing limestone, about 3 feet thick and about 100 feet in lateral extent, was unearthed: the lower and upper parts were as hard as concrete (and used for commercial sale), whereas the central part yielded whole (loose) fossils, which ended up in the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History (i.e., the LACM Invertebrate Paleontology Collection).

 In 1998, one of my graduate students in paleontology, George Davis, did a Master’s Degree Study of the very abundant and well-preserved, ARCO molluscan fossils---[i.e., in particular, those found free of rock matrix]. They provide evidence for a late Pliocene age of this deposit (the age had not been well established/confirmed before George’s study). Also, Davis’ study helped support the interpretation that about 4 million years ago, a landslide caused a section of the ancient shoreline molluscan fauna to slide several miles down an incline into deeper water silts and mud. The shells of about 350 species of marine life were deposited together. The ARCO Fossil Locality contains thousands of shallow-marine shells transported by turbidity currents into deeper offshore marine waters. Foraminifera and diatoms were also incorporated.

Dr. Natland arranged for several tons of the hard fossil-bearing material to be shipped to Italy in order to be cut into small slabs, vases, pen holders, paperweights, table, boxes, and ashtrays for retail sale (Fig. 1). Magazine articles (e.g., West Magazine, April 18, 1971, article entitled “Miracle of Sixth and Flower.” Also, see LACM publication Terra, Fall, 1991, v. 10, no. 2).

 EXAMPLES OF FOSSILS (free of matrix) FROM THE ARCO PLAZA LOCALITY:

Pecten (Pecten) bellus, a marine bivalve

 (clam) fossil (height 6 cm): two views. 

                                      Crepidula (Grandicrepidula) princeps, a marine gastropod

                                                 (snail) fossil: length 7.5 cm (two views).