Preservation Advice For C. Megalodon Tooth - Cracks Developing !

[Anaspides]

Greetings

My first post.

I have a couple of C. megalodon teeth which are exhibiting cracks in the root lobe. The cracks were not present ten years ago, but are now quite obvious.

The teeth have been stored carefully in drawer (in a cardboard box) which is in a room (office) that in winter ranges between 8 Celsius and 23 Celsius (room heating). In summer it is a constant 20 Celcius (no heating or cooling).

I believe the cracks have been caused by changing temperature (and possibly humidity levels) – although the relative humidity is quite dry year round.

What can be done to stop the cracks from developing further?

Thank You, Iain

Edited September 26, 2015 by Anaspides

[Runner64]

I'm sorry I don't know how to help you but I just wanted to say that's a beauty! Nice tooth.

[amour 25]

Wish I could help, and welcome to the forum, somebody will be along soon.

Have you tried a goggle search for anything?

[Al Dente]

You can preserve the tooth with a vinac or butvar solution. If you do a forum search for these words you will find more information. The cracks in the root of your tooth look like typical cracks found in almost all large shark teeth. Are you certain they weren't there previously?

[fossilselachian]

I don't think you have any problem here, either in the short or long term. As stated by Al Dente, almost every large shark tooth exhibits such characteristics and remain stable almost indefinitely. I can vouch for such stability in Meg teeth for decades and for some megs I know to be in excess of 50 years in age (post collection).

[siteseer]

While I agree that the tooth is probably alright even in the long term, it wouldn't hurt to soak it in a vinac or Butvar solution. Tooth roots are more porous than they look.

You can preserve the tooth with a vinac or butvar solution. If you do a forum search for these words you will find more information. The cracks in the root of your tooth look like typical cracks found in almost all large shark teeth. Are you certain they weren't there previously?

[Auspex]

The fact that it has cracked since you acquired it is worrisome; most do not. I think the application, to the root with a model brush, of a soaking solution of thin vinac-acetone solution, is prudent. The down side is the time, effort, and expense, and the possibility that it might darken the root slightly, but such a lovely specimen is worth it.

[Anaspides]

Hello Everyone

WOW - what a response! Thank you for your replies.

To be honest I cannot quite remember if the tooth had the crack when it as found or not - it was long ago. But, it struck me as something I had not seen before when I was sorting through my collection.

It's promising that the tooth root will remain stable and not degrade further. I obviously have removed all my specimens from the office and now store them in a cool, low RH environment without fluctuations in temperature.

I will look into the use of vinac-acetone solution a little deeply and make a decision on it use.

The tooth is a very good example and any work to preserve it is worth it!

Thank you again, WilloW

[RickNC]

They look like the same cracks nearly all of my meg teeth have. The cracks are common on these teeth and are present when found.

[DeloiVarden]

The cracks look very typical of most larger shark teeth and this sort of hydration cracking is very typical. The root looks stable to me and I can tell you that it is amazing how our mind plays tricks with us. When we look at something and then put a lot of time between looks, it may just be that our memories are just more generous than reality . In any case, progressive cracking is most often seen in meg teeth that are found in high saline environments, but then are not soaked long enough or at all in fresh water to help remove the saline/salt. If this is the case, salt crystals can form over time with exposure to humidity to further crack a fossil. I honestly doubt that in this case as most meg divers know to soak teeth adequately. Cool tooth, no worries!

[Raptor Lover]

Very nice tooth indeed! And welcome to The Forum!

[Anaspides]

The cracks look very typical of most larger shark teeth and this sort of hydration cracking is very typical. The root looks stable to me and I can tell you that it is amazing how our mind plays tricks with us. When we look at something and then put a lot of time between looks, it may just be that our memories are just more generous than reality . In any case, progressive cracking is most often seen in meg teeth that are found in high saline environments, but then are not soaked long enough or at all in fresh water to help remove the saline/salt. If this is the case, salt crystals can form over time with exposure to humidity to further crack a fossil. I honestly doubt that in this case as most meg divers know to soak teeth adequately. Cool tooth, no worries!

So true how our mind can play tricks on us when you have not looked at something for a while.

Would you suggest soaking the tooth in freshwater for a period to remove any salts that may still be in the root ?

I actually do not think there is much salt in the tooth root, but I cannot be sure.

Thanks, WilloW

[Auspex]

Keep it dry; if it is due to the swelling of salt crystals, soaking would just cause further damage.

Keep an eye on it: check it against photos periodically, and consider a non-water based consolodant if it seems to be deteriorating.

[Anaspides]

Thanks Auspex.

I will monitor for the time being and then if it gets worse I will treat accordingly. As others have stated, these cracks are quite normal in meg teeth and rarely get worse. My shark teeth certainly are not friable and they do 'look' stable.

A short search on google revealed the following site that deals with various polymers used in conservation.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/CRL/conservationmanual/File2.htm

Paraloid B-72 appears to be quite good.

Thanks, WiloW

[DeloiVarden]

Auspex is right, resoaking in water is more likely to hurt than help. If it ever does crack more, use butvar or a similar non-water based solvent.