thers a place near where i liv called the la bera tar pits and it has lots of tar there. many animals died there about 1000 years ago. but i want 2 know if it can turn 2 lava. what happens if the tar gets hot? can i turn it to lava by setting it on fire?
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Hi Bob,
Good question, the short answer is no.
The Long answer is that Lava is basically molten rock from the interior of the planet, tar is a liquid coal (bitumen) in simplest terms. So while they both come from the Earth, they're not the same and one wont become, or "turn into" the other.
Good question, the short answer is no.
The Long answer is that Lava is basically molten rock from the interior of the planet, tar is a liquid coal (bitumen) in simplest terms. So while they both come from the Earth, they're not the same and one wont become, or "turn into" the other.
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Lava comes from deep in the earth - hundreds of miles deep. The tar at La Brea is only a few hundred feet deep. It is composed of extremely ancient dead plants. It is very similar to oil in that regard. In fact if you were to picture it as extremely thick crude oil you would be close to the truth. There is nothing common between that and melted rock.