A tar pit is a pool of sticky black pitch that trapped animals. Excavate a tar pit.
One trapped animal drew predators, which is why the bones are mostly hunters. A tar pit preserves bone beautifully and destroys almost every trace of colour.
1nountar pitA pool of sticky black pitch that trapped animals.
“The tar pit yielded a million bones from one site.”
tar pit is a pool.
tarpit comes from tar + pit.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Dinosaurs & Prehistory