Colors of Shark Teeth: The Simple Answer

The color of a shark tooth, or any other fossil, is determined by the type of sediment the fossil is preserved in. The color has almost nothing to do with the age or type of fossil.

To elaborate, let’s take a basic look at the fossilization process for shark teeth:

Let’s say a particular shark tooth is shed and sinks to the bottom of the sea. To become a fossil, it is quickly buried by sediments. Over time, the oxygen poor sediment layers build up and up. Pressure will start to compact the sediments that the shark tooth is entombed in. When enough layers and pressure build up, water will cause minerals in the surrounding sediment to flow into the shark tooth (permineralization). Eventually the minerals will fill in and replace most of the original organic material and the shark tooth will become preserved as a fossil. The color of the minerals in the sediment will become the color of the fossil. Colors of Shark Teeth: The Simple Answer

The color of a shark tooth, or any other fossil, is determined by the type of sediment the fossil is preserved in. The color has almost nothing to do with the age or type of fossil.

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