These smaller pitch ponds represent more than geological curiosities

This report covers these smaller pitch ponds with key details and context.

Trinidad’s Other Pitch Lakes: Time to Acknowledge and Protect Our Hidden Asphalt Treasures

A viral social-media post by content creator Richie Bansraj has reignited curiosity about Trinidad’s natural pitch deposits. In the photos, he can be seen pulling thick black tar from what looks like a roadside drain — only it’s not a drain at all. It’s a natural pitch pond, bubbling quietly in plain sight.

Bansraj’s discovery isn’t an isolated case. Across Trinidad, small pools of asphalt — sometimes called pitch ponds or tar seeps — dot the landscape, quietly seeping from the earth in areas rich in hydrocarbons. For decades, the world has known only one: the majestic La Brea Pitch Lake, the largest natural asphalt deposit on the planet. But the truth is, there are several smaller pitch deposits scattered across the island — a geological reminder that Trinidad’s sub-surface is alive with oil and natural bitumen.

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A network of natural asphalt seeps

Geologists have documented asphalt seeps in Forest Reserve, Fyzabad, Erin, Palo Seco, and even parts of Guanapo. Many are hidden near old oil-field lands, residential areas, or forest clearings. They form when oil migrates upward through cracks and gas vents, solidifying into heavy pitch once exposed to air.

Unlike the massive La Brea lake — which spans nearly 100 acres and supplies refined asphalt to global markets — these smaller sites are often untreated, unprotected, and largely ignored. Some are even mistaken for clogged roadside drains until someone, like Bansraj, uncovers their true nature.

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A call for attention and conservation

If the country indeed hosts several of these natural pitch outlets, the question now becomes: what should Trinidad and Tobago do about them?

These smaller pitch ponds represent more than geological curiosities. They are:

Natural laboratories that can help scientists study hydrocarbon migration and the island’s seismic structure.

Potential heritage sites that showcase the depth of our petroleum history — long before the modern oil era began.

Environmental indicators that might reveal subsurface pressures or gas escape zones worth monitoring.

Despite this, most of these seeps remain undocumented, unmarked, and unmonitored. No formal study, registry, or environmental protection plan currently exists for them.

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The bigger picture

Trinidad’s identity is intertwined with pitch. It helped pave roads from London to New York, and even the runway at Heathrow once used asphalt from La Brea. Yet, outside of that one lake, our understanding of these smaller pitch bodies is remarkably limited.

If other nations with smaller tar pits, like California’s La Brea Tar Pits or Venezuela’s Mene Grande, have turned them into protected research and tourist zones, why not Trinidad?

The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Tourism could easily collaborate with the University of the West Indies or the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago to survey, map, and study these natural pitch ponds — not only for heritage but also for safety and education.

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A natural wonder waiting for recognition

Richie Bansraj’s spontaneous find may have accidentally sparked something bigger: a national reminder that Trinidad’s earth still breathes pitch. Whether in La Brea, Forest Reserve, or some unnamed corner of the oil belt, these natural outlets deserve attention before they disappear under development or contamination.

As the conversation unfolds, one thing is clear — Trinidad and Tobago may not have just one Pitch Lake.
It has many small, living pieces of one — bubbling beneath our feet, waiting to be understood, protected, and appreciated.