A fossilized shark tooth is a biological remain permineralized over millions of years, often preserving the serrated edge and enamel of the original tooth. It is commonly found in riverbeds, coastal sediments, and phosphate mines, in colors ranging from tan to jet black depending on the minerals in the surrounding sediment.
Is this fossilized shark tooth?
4-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch fossilized shark tooth with a known reference. Fossilized Shark Tooth sits at Mohs 3-5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Name the organismDecide what left the fossil before worrying about the rock. Organism: Sharks. Age: Late Ordovician to recent; most fossil shark teeth found are Cenozoic.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: dull to vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: black, gray, brown, tan, cream.
Often found alongside fossilized shark tooth
Minerals reported to co-occur with fossilized shark tooth. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3-5
- Density
- 2.5-3.0 g/cm³
- Luster
- Dull to vitreous
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Jewelry, Educational
- Host rock
- sedimentary deposits
- Organism
- Sharks
- Age
- Late Ordovician to recent; most fossil shark teeth found are Cenozoic
Where rockhounds find fossilized shark tooth
3 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Peace River, Florida
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Aurora, North Carolina
- Maryland Cliffs
- Morocco
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: sedimentary deposits. If you start seeing quartz, calcite, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Texas, South Carolina. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find fossilized shark tooth on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
