Thursday, September 30, 2010

Morris Island "Hunting" Trip

A few weeks back we decided to be adventurous and do something we had yet to do here in the Charleston area. I found a guy online who has a little "boat tour" business on Trip Advisor. Not only was he listed on Trip Advisor but he was ranked #1 out of all #200 things to do and see in Charleston (Adventure Harbor Tours)! I figured it had to be good and I couldn't have been more RIGHT!!! We had a FANTASTIC time and it is actually one of the most memorable things we have done here to date. We met Captain Howie down at the marina in Charleston where the cruise ships dock. He took us (me, Scott, and the kids, and 2 of our friends) in his boat over to Morris Island (15-20 minute ride). He gave us a brief history of the island and some tips on locations to find shark teeth and big shells then turned us loose for 2 hours. We always heard of people finding shark teeth on the beaches but when you go to the popular beaches it is slim pickings and we've never actually found one. So, Easton was extremely excited of the good possibility to find one on non-populated Morris Island. The weather was great and we had tons of fun "hunting." It had been 2 hours before we knew it and not only did we find one shark tooth . . . we found 40!!! (see picture at bottom) We also found conch shells, sand dollars, sea glass, and petrified bones. I would HIGHLY recommend the outing if you are in the Charleston area! Here are some pics . . .








7 comments:

Tia said...

That sounds like so much fun! I imagined the sharks teeth being white. What makes them black?

Angie said...

That sounds awesome! I so wish I could come visit you guys again!!

Frei Family said...

Cool! It looks like a lot of fun.

Marci Wittwer Butterfield said...

Makes me want to go to Charlestown just so I can do some "hunting." So fun. you guys look great!

The Mom said...

That is so cool! I had no idea shark teeth were black.

Jessica said...

Here's the scoop on the color of shark teeth straight from the Florida Museum of Natural History. Quite interesting if I do say so myself. ;O)

First, how a tooth becomes fossilized:
Sharks can shed many thousands of teeth throughout their lifetime. In order for these teeth to fossilize, they must sink the seafloor and be quickly covered by sediment. Rapid burial is important for fossilization for a number of reasons. First, the sediment acts to protect the teeth from the weathering, abrasion, and scavenging that could occur if they were exposed to open water and currents. Secondly, burial also limits exposure to oxygen and bacteria which are responsible for decay. The process of fossilization is a slow one that usually takes thousands of years. In the case of shark's teeth, they are preserved through a process known as permineralization. Which occurs as water seeps down through the sediments and over the teeth. This water carries different minerals in it that are deposited into open pore spaces in the teeth. The most common minerals are silica and calcite but other local minerals are deposited as well. Depending on which minerals are present teeth can be found in a wide variety of different colors, ranging from blue/grey to black to orange/red to white to green.

Then, why are fossil shark teeth different colors?:
The color of fossil shark teeth is a result of the minerals that are present in the surrounding sediments. Teeth fossilize through a process called permineralization. As water seeps through sediments over the teeth, it transports the minerals that are found in the sediment. These minerals fill in pore spaces in the tooth causing them to fossilize. Different minerals turn different colors as they form and react with trace amounts of oxygen. For example, as iron oxidizes it begins to rust and typically turns a reddish brown. The same can happen to fossils.


So, if we had found a white shark tooth it would mean that it is a "modern" tooth from a currently living species of shark that has not had time to fossilize.

And that's the lesson for today! :0)

Jessica said...
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