Peace River ID Help

[PODIGGER]

Out on the Peace River, FL Wednesday trying to find a nice meg for a friend.  Unfortunately, my usual spot failed to produce a quality tooth. Just lots of bits and pieces. Late in the day I was about to toss a black piece of what looked like stone or rock out of the sifter when the light hit the edge just right and I spotted Schreger lines.  This was an unusual looking piece of ivory due to the jet black color.  The only thing I could think of that would have produced the black colored ivory is the enamel found on a Gomphothere tusk.  So, I am seeking opinions on whether or not this is a piece of a Gomphothere tusk. Hopefully, @Shellseeker , @Meganeura or @Harry Pristis have come across something similar.  The piece appears to be solid black throughout which leads me to the belief that this is not just staining from the river.

 

I had to play with the lighting and exposure to get the Schreger lines to show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lorne Ledger]

It is fossil ivory but nailing it down to a gomph would be impossible I would think.  The black color is just from the sediments and water of preservation.  A nice little chunk tho, my guess is mastodon as it being one of the most common, but again no way to know for sure.

[Meganeura]

Yep - I agree with @Lorne Ledger - it’s ivory. You could possibly measure the angles (I’m still not entirely sure which angle you’re supposed to measure…) and compare to that one picture going around to figure out whether it’s mammoth/mastodon/Gomph. But while Gomph has an enamel band - this doesn’t look like it to me.

[PODIGGER]

Thanks for your responses gentleman. What has me leaning toward Gomph with the black enamel is that every other piece of ivory I have found in the river is certainly water stained - but it is tan to brown - not black.  Some examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Meganeura]

I’ve found a few black chunks of ivory myself - so I wouldn’t rule it out. 

[Bone Daddy]

I've found a few blackened ivory remnants. I think it's just the local mineral content in the area it fossilized and long-term tannin staining. It might have been entombed in iron-rich sediment, then washed into the river and remained submerged in a tannin-rich hole for a looooong time. Maybe.

 

[PODIGGER]

Seems like the most likely answer.