Why are so many fossils from Niger so oddly colored ?

[Brevicollis]

Hello, I wanted to ask why it seems that so many fossils from Niger are oddly colored.

I mean, there have been completely blue dinosaur teeth found, then I heard about green ones, and yesterday I acquired an almost fully purple Eocarcharia cf. tooth.

 

Why is that ? I know that minerals are the cause, but which ones even do that, and also, how rare are such unusually colored Niger teeth ? And have you guys examples?  Thanks !

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Red and some associated colors are usually related to Iron content.

Green could be Copper minerals (amongst others) and blue is sometimes associated with Apatite.

[jpc]

I have no answer but it would be interesting to compare colors from different formations in Niger.  There are a number of units that produce dinosaur remains.  Meanwhile, we would love to see your purple tooth.  

[Brevicollis]

5 minutes ago, jpc said:

we would love to see your purple tooth.  

Hrmm hrmm

 

 

[jpc]

Hmmm, indeed.  I thought this was a reddish color.  This is why color charts exist for geologists.  : )

 

 

[Brevicollis]

15 minutes ago, jpc said:

I thought this was a reddish color.  This is why color charts exist for geologists.  : )

I laid it next to a purple and a red pencil for comparison, so what do you think ?
More purple, or more reddish  ?
My vote : Purple outside, rusty brown/reddish inside the cracks.

Do you have such a geologist color chart, so we could agree on one or two colors ?

[jpc]

purple and red (and others) come in all sorts of shades and varieties.  

 

I was more curious to see your purple fossil.  I am satisfied.  

 

I do not have the geological color chart.  

 

Fun story... I am a birdwatcher.  Have been for decades.  A newby (birds) once said to me... "OOOhh I just saw a red and blue bird.  What was it?"  I dug into my bird knowledge... red and blue.... no such bird in Wyoming.  Then we saw it again.. it was blue-gray and rusty red.. obviously a kestrel.  

 

 

 

[Kikokuryu]

4 hours ago, Brevicollis said:

I mean, there have been completely blue dinosaur teeth found, then I heard about green ones, and yesterday I acquired an almost fully purple Eocarcharia cf. tooth.

The combination of color (red, blue, and purples) and the fractured looking condition would suggest this is a Middle Jurassic tooth rather than Elrhaz. Most of your oddly colored colorful teeth are likely Jurassic. The more definitive Elrhaz stuff (Suchomimus) is generally more typical light brown, dark brown, and black with a sandy matrix.

 

Less worn example of a blue-ish metallic looking cf. Afrovenator from the Marandet region of Aderbissinat. Despite looking fragile, the matrix is super tough so it's quite indestructible and easy to handle.

 

What happens to these types of teeth after they are exposed to the elements. This style of preservation was often associated with the Middle Jurassic deposit of Niger way before they flooded the market in recent years.

 

The reason why a lot of Jurassic teeth from Niger have that fractured look is that they come out of the ground already messed up looking. I think it's because the matrix that holds the tooth fragments together is really tough, the weathering once exposed to the surface causes them to look like that.

 

Edited December 2, 2024 by Kikokuryu

[Brevicollis]

Thanks @Kikokuryu !

Well, so are colorful Elhraz formation teeth rarer ? As the seller I got the first tooth from, had a small batch of Niger teeth he told me, that were all found by the same guy in the same formation, then he sold them to him, so I think its more reasonable to think its rather from the Elhraz formation. As there was also a Suchomimus tooth in this batch, and I also bought it, so let me introduce you to my rather purple appearing Suchomimus tooth :

Edited December 2, 2024 by Brevicollis

[jpc]

comment on geography/geology,  not color:

 

Quote: "Less worn example of a blue-ish metallic looking cf. Afrovenator from the Marandet region of Aderbissinat." 

 

Marandet and Aderbissinat are two very different places in Niger.  Different rock units.  Marandet is at the base of the Falaise (=cliffs) de Tigoudit, whereas Aderbissinat is above the cliffs, therefore younger.  The type specimen of Afrovenator was found at the base of the cliffs, in the Tiouraren Fm. The beds at Aderbissinat are the overlying Elrhaz Fm.   

Both are in the Agadez Region, which is a political division of Niger.    

[Kikokuryu]

2 hours ago, Brevicollis said:

As there was also a Suchomimus tooth in this batch, and I also bought it, so let me introduce you to my rather purple appearing Suchomimus tooth :

I'm not sure if this particular tooth is Suchomimus. It looks a little too croc-like. The striations don't quite match the fluting seen in baryonychines, though I suppose spinosaurines like Ichthyovenator do have that finer striations. But the overall shape seems more croc-ish. But maybe someone else can correct me there.

 

Niger teeth from the original diggers do get mixed up. You get basal sauropod teeth mixed with Suchomimus all the time. The theropods are all generic and distinguishing a megalosauroid from a allosauroid can be quite difficult since they have generic teeth. Red-ish teeth are not impossible, but

 

2 hours ago, jpc said:

Marandet and Aderbissinat are two very different places in Niger.  Different rock units.  Marandet is at the base of the Falaise (=cliffs) de Tigoudit, whereas Aderbissinat is above the cliffs, therefore younger

This was my mistake. Marandet (technically Marandade) was the locale provided by the original digger. So I erroneously added the Aderbissinat part based on what I saw off of, I think Wikipedia. There was some language barrier issues when given locale info.

 

The messed up looking tooth is from "Effonfone", but I never figured out where that was supposed to be. The only other additional information given was it's around 70km South East of Agadez (the city).

Edited December 2, 2024 by Kikokuryu

[Brevicollis]

18 hours ago, Kikokuryu said:

21 hours ago, Brevicollis said:

 

I'm not sure if this particular tooth is Suchomimus. It looks a little too croc-like. The striations don't quite match the fluting seen in baryonychines, though I suppose spinosaurines like Ichthyovenator do have that finer striations. But the overall shape seems more croc-ish. But maybe someone else can correct me there.

 

There are no stirae left, and I think also no fluting. The tooth is too worn to see those, and the tip is also missing.

But the tooth is more lateraly compressed, the base shape would have been an oval, and there are bits of the prosterior carina preserved, wich is situated on the prosterior side, and not on the labial or lingual like its seen on most of the croc teeth from Niger, and then going by the overall curviture to the back, I think for me its save to say that its Suchomimus tenerensis.

 

Also, might @North know some more about this whole topic ?

Edited December 3, 2024 by Brevicollis

[jpc]

"Effonfone".... a mystery to me as well.  I have spent time over there and this immedialety made me think of one of the greeting used by the Fulani people of the Sahel.... Fofo... means Hello, and/or How are things?  I wonder if this is another one lost in translation.  Of course it could also be a term the locals use to name a place that has simply not made it onto white man's maps.   Villages make it onto the maps, but not so much landmarks.  

[JorisVV]

A lot of fossils are partially fossilized with Hematite. Which is a common mineral in Niger

 

[North]

1 hour ago, Brevicollis said:

There are no stirae left, and I think also no fluting. The tooth is too worn to see those, and the tip is also missing.

But the tooth is more lateraly compressed, the base shape would have been an oval, and there are bits of the prosterior carina preserved, wich is situated on the prosterior side, and not on the labial or lingual like its seen on most of the croc teeth from Niger, and then going by the overall curviture to the back, I think for me its save to say that its Suchomimus tenerensis.

 

Also, might @North know some more about this whole topic ?

Sorry, but tooth might not be in condition to make an proper id.

 

Diagnostic features like dentulation on carinae and enamel structure can not be seen. Some striations are visible, but worn.

 

It could be Suchomimus tooth, but without diagnostic features present, can't really say so. Croc teeth can be very similar with Sucho teeth.