[3] Most of the tar pits are located along the southwestern part of the intersection of California State Route 58 and 33[3] and generate from the underlying McKittrick Oil Field.

In connection with motion along the plates or subduction, pressure is created against underlying oil source rock, in this case the Monterey Formation.

[2][4][5] The oil moves towards the surface and slowly transforms into bitumen and on its way picks up clay and water, and is cooled into asphalt.

[9][10][11][12] The McKittrick Tar Pits were known by the Native American Yokuts people who mined the asphalt and used it as a sealant for waterproofing, decoration, and even for trade.

The tar pits have trapped and preserved hundreds of Pleistocene Age animals [14] The first paleontological studies were conducted between 1900 and 1910, in 1928 the first major studies were conducted by a paleontological team from the University of California, the excavations were completed in 1949 by teams from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Kern County Museum.