Los Angeles area beaches closed by “mysterious” oil globs washing ashore

Nearly seven miles of Los Angeles County coastline is closed as U.S. Coast Guard scientists investigate mysterious balls of tar washing ashore.

Beaches from the El Segundo jetty south to Redondo Beach are closed Thursday as crews clean up the mess.

Officials say it appears to be about a barrel or two of oil – nothing like the spill from a pipeline that created a 10-square-mile slick off the Santa Barbara County coast last week.

The cause of the goo is a mystery. There’s a refinery and offshore oil tanker terminal nearby but the Coast Guard didn’t find a sheen from a spill. It also might be residue from the Santa Barbara spill.

Also natural seepage has been known to leave tar balls on the sand – and beachgoers’ feet.