fossil

Fossilized Shark Tooth (Fragment)

Elasmobranchii gen. indet.

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness: 5 on Mohs scale (apatite composition). Color: Dark gray to black due to mineral permineralization, with shiny enameloid surface showing distinctive striations. Luster: Sub-vitreous to pearly enamel. Structure: Dense, calcified organic structure.

Hardness: 5 on Mohs scale (apatite composition)
Luster: Sub-vitreous to pearly enamel

Identified July 23, 2026More fossil →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed when a shark tooth shed or from a deceased shark settled in marine sediment and underwent permineralization over millions of years (typically Eocene to Miocene epochs, ~5 to 50 million years old). Silica, iron, and phosphate minerals replaced organic matter.

Uses & applications

Popular as educational specimens, collector's items, and used in wire-wrapped jewelry or crafts.

Geological facts

Sharks shed thousands of teeth in their lifetimes. Black teeth indicate permineralization in anoxic, sediment-rich marine environments where iron sulfide and phosphate replaced the original tooth material.

Field identification & locations

Can be identified by the smooth, reflective enameloid surface paired with fibrous or porous root structure (or tooth fragment cross-section). Commonly found along coastal beaches and riverbeds in Florida, North and South Carolina, and Maryland.