California's Sharktooth Hill

	There are many fossil locations on the West Coast of the United States (more than those listed here). These are the primary "shark tooth" producing locations.
		The information here is meant only to be a general guide. People have spent lifetimes collecting from and learning about just one of these fascinating fossil locations. For additional information about any of these locations, please search your library or the internet (using internet search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Ask - typing in the terms listed below). 1 - Scotts Valley (in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Santa Cruz, CA) (Santa Margarita Fossil Formation) 2 - Sharktooth Hill (near Bakersfield, CA) (Round Mountain Silt portion of the Temblor Fossil Formation) Imagine with me, that millions of years ago the entire San Joaquin Valley was a vast inland body of water called the Temblor Sea. It teamed with life, and as you might expect, along what was once it's shoreline have been found aquatic fossils that date back to approximately 15 million years ago. What happened to the sea? An overly simplified explanation is, the encircling mountains pushed upward and rain carved out valleys, washing soil into the sea. Eventually, it filled completely with this "silt". You may not realize that the valley is close to sea level, with shipping waterways connecting San Francisco and the central valley town of Stockton. What was once a sea is now a vast fertile plane. Rivers and man-made waterways bring water down from the encircling mountains into the valley, where it is used for irrigation. The water and rich soil has created the "Bread Basket" of the west. The Scotts Valley fossil location is near the narrow connection between the inland sea and the Pacific Ocean (just south of San Francisco). As the ocean tide rose and fell, water rushed back and forth through this narrow waterway. For that reason (and others, including the rocky composition of the ocean bottom), the fossils found at Scotts Valley are somewhat damaged and worn. The area has been hunted so much and developed over enough that it is no longer a plentiful source of nice fossils. Perhaps one day another rich fossil deposit will be found somewhere along the shores of that ancient sea. Are you ready to step back in time with me?
Imagine you've sailed through the narrow waterway south of present-day San Francisco, leaving the Pacific Ocean and entering the Temblor Sea. You caught a rising tide and effortlessly rode the current eastward. You've sailed for hundreds of miles southeast across this huge body of water. Occasionally you were accompanied by a whale or pod of dolphin. All the while, you knew that just below the surface lurked the largest predator that ever lived - the Megalodon shark. You've just reached the southeastern shore, not far from present-day Bakersfield, California. It is a lush tropical location, with reefs, lagoons, palm trees - plants and animals as far as you can see. Along the shore there is a rookery of sea lions and a strange hippopotamus-like animal. In the shallows is something that looks like a sea cow. The water is alive, with all types of fish and aquatic mammals. "Snap" - you're back to the present. The photo to the right shows the way that shoreline looks today. It's not so lush and tropical anymore. In fact the surface is significantly different, with hills and valleys where there was once sea floor. If you go there today, be sure to bring plenty of water with you. Fossil adventures in this semi-arid region, are not for the faint hearted.

What's so special about Sharktooth Hill?

First, why is it called "Sharktooth Hill"? Some say it refers to the shape of a mountain in the area. Some say it's because of the fossil shark teeth that are found there. It actually refers to a small hill where fossil shark teeth had been excavated many years ago. Among all the other hills in the area, it's not likely it would impress you much, if you saw it. These days, the term "Sharktooth Hill" has grown to refer to the general area, which is more precisely called the Round Mountain Silt portion of the Temblor Fossil Formation. Much of the land is owned by Oil Companies, as evidenced by the prolific oil wells in the area. Some of the most fossil productive areas are owned by private individuals, who obviously don't want just anyone coming out and digging up their land. In the surrounding area though, are a shrinking number of other locations where the fossil layer is still exposed and accessible to the public (don't ask). It's a small area and likely to be developed soon, so those of us who know about it don't advertise it's location.

One of the interesting things about the area, is that there are rare parts of the fossil layer where the conditions have created some amazing colors. One of those areas produces white-yellow-amber-orange-red-burgundy-black colors (the colors of fire). We call it a "Fire Zone." To the left is a picture of some "Fire Zone" teeth that were recovered during one of our trips. The down-side of a Fire Zone, is that the teeth tend to be fragile and in highly eroded condition. Most of the teeth found are merely empty husks of enamel (the crown enamel with little or no root remaining). A nice, solid Fire Zone tooth, in near-perfect condition is extremely rare. I suspect this web site is the only place you will find them.

Below are some examples of the range of colors that we find. I've photographed only Isurus planus teeth, so there is no doubt where they came from. While we occasionally find Tiger Shark, Cow Shark and Megalodon teeth, most of the teeth we find are Isurus (hastalis, desori and planus). Isurus hastalis and Isurus desori teeth are found in other parts of the world, but this location in California is the only place on Earth that regularly produces the unique Isurus planus (also called "Hook-Tooth Mako"). This web site has the best selection of large Sharktooth Hill teeth on the web. No one else is even close. Click this link, browse around and decide for yourself.

White (cream/champagne)	Gray	Blue (a hint of...)
Tan-Brown-Black	"Fire Zone" (red-yellow-white)	Multi-Colored
Click here to learn more about why fossils have different colors.