Collector9658 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 (edited) Today, as I was unpacking some boxed up fossils, I noticed one of the Peripristis teeth I had collected last year looked a bit different. I then compared it to some of the photos I had taken and uploaded of it back in September when I submitted it to the FOTM contest. The tooth has definitely changed some color. When I prepped out the tooth, it had a much more vibrant white/ blue coloration to the tooth, especially toward the tip of the crown. My question is what causes this? Does oxidation change the color over time? Im not too knowledgeable with teeth, and I haven't observed this with other teeth I've collected before. September- Now- As found- before prep showing less red coloration Edited January 27 by Collector9658 Add additional photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 @jdp 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Interesting- I have noticed with my Pennsylvanian shark teeth that exposure to humidity can change the color, but I have not seen such changes otherwise. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Exposure to oxygen and humidity definitely can change color of hydroxyapatite. But they can also cause pyrite disease. This could be either honestly. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 I would certainly subscribe to the assessment by @deutschebenand @jdp ,but my first thought was off-gassing if packed in nonarchival material. 1 Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector9658 Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 On 1/28/2024 at 9:01 AM, jdp said: Exposure to oxygen and humidity definitely can change color of hydroxyapatite. But they can also cause pyrite disease. This could be either honestly. Thanks for the information. I'll periodically check on the fossil every few months now for some time to see if I notice any bad pyrite disease/ rot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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