Photos of the exploratory shaft being dug in preparation of Purple Line Extension construction

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Excavation of the shaft Tuesday afternoon with a paleontologist, at right, looking for any fossils that may be unearthed. Photos by Steve Hymon/Metro.
Looking down on the shaft from near street level.
Looking down on the shaft from near the top.
At right, part of a digger pine cone and seed that were found during excavation.
Geoducks — a type of clam — found while digging was underway.
Geoducks (ancient clams) found while digging the exploratory shaft. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.
Dirt being lifted from the shaft, which is adjacent to Wilshire Boulevard.
Ancient sand dollars found in the shaft, blackened by tar.

Click on any photo to see larger.

My colleague Dave Sotero and I had a chance today to visit the exploratory shaft being dug as part of the Purple Line Extension subway project. If you’ve been to LACMA recently, you may have noticed the big wall covered with Metro posters across the street. That’s the exploratory shaft.

It’s quite a feat. The shaft is already 65 feet deep and is being dug to learn more about soil conditions in the area and validate what is already known. The work is an important step in preparing for station excavation and tunneling for the subway.

Quite a few fossils have already been found, including clams, sand dollars and parts of the cone and seeds for digger pine trees. While we were there, in fact, a rock was found that appears to have a sea lion skull within it that is perhaps two million years or more old. Metro is working with the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits to identify and preserve the fossils found.

We’ll post lots more about the shaft soon. In the meantime, Channel 7 should have a segment on the work being done as part of tonight’s newscast. See KABC 7’s story here. 

Photo by Dave Sotero/Metro.

Kim Scott, Director of Paleontology for Cogstone, a Metro project consultant, holds a rock that appears to contain the skull of a sea lion, perhaps two million years or more old. It was unearthed Tuesday afternoon during excavation of the exploratory shaft for the Purple Line Extension subway project. Photo by Dave Sotero/Metro.

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20 replies ›

  4. […] The discoveries so far have included geoducks (large clams), sand dollars and digger pine tree cones and seeds, and a rock that “appears to have a sea lion skull within it that is perhaps two million years or more old,” according to the Metro Rail’s blog. […]

  5. what will become of the exploratory shaft once the station is built? elevator shaft? stairwell for emergency exit? extra subway entrance hopefully?

    also its great to have these fossils preserved…

  12. What is the time line for the station excavation and tunneling for the subway?

  13. Matthew – it just depends upon how far back in history you want to go – there was a time when even the Sierra Nevada Mountains (and other West Coast ranges) did not yet exist and shore lines were much farther east than they are now.

  15. Back a long time ago maby the ocean came up to that point.

  17. Woo hoo! Santa Monica, here we come! (Yeah, I know, it’ll be a while yet.)

    • I knew I shouldn’t have posted that initially without checking. Fixed! 🙂

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source