2.65" Shark Tooth (Carcharodon) Fossil on Sandstone - Bakersfield, CA

Shark Tooth (Carcharodon) Fossil on Sandstone - Bakersfield, CA #238331

Here is a nicely preserved fossil shark tooth found at Sharktooth Hill near Bakersfield, California. It comes from the lower jaw of Carcharodon sp., with Carcharodon hastilis and Carcharodon planus being the likely candidates for species. These teeth have beautiful coloration which is quite distinct to the location. Quite impressive for a tooth that's 2.655 million years old.

The tooth was prepped free from the rock and then remounted to sandstone it was found in. The slight green tint of the sandstone is a result of the stabilization process.

Sharktooth Hill is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Bakersfield, California. It represents an exposure of the Temblor Formation, a middle-Miocene marine deposit. 15 million years ago the sea levels were substantially higher, and central California was covered by what is known as the Temblor Sea.

Two highly fossiliferous bone beds in the formation were created when fossils originally deposited at the bottom of the sea eroded out of the rocks, were concentrated by ocean currents, and subsequently reburied. Because the fossils in these bone beds are reworked, only isolated teeth and bones are found in these beds.

Today, the original Sharktooth Hill is a National Natural Landmark, but private property surrounding it contains operational pay-to-dig fossil quarries.