Page 1: Overview
Shark Tooth Hill
City: Bakersfield, CA
Timeline: Miocene epoch of the Neogene period, approxomately 5.3 to 23 million years ago.
Unique for: Megalodon and Mako Shark teeth, whale bones, and the occasional preserved full mammal.
Terrain and land: There are fossil-producing areas along the river that are open to the public, but your time is best spent going to Ernst Quarries.
We begin the hunt from out West, at the famous Shark Tooth Hill. This is a bone bed in Bakersfield, California, just a 2 hour drive Northwest of Los Angeles.
In 1976, Shark Tooth Hill was added to the United States Landmark Registry.
The fossil record ranges from the Miocene epoch of the Neogene period (5.3 to 23 million years ago), and holds both terrestrial and marine fossils.
Page 2: Bakersfield History
History of The Bakersfield Bone Beds
Page 3: Paleo History
The Neogene Period
The fossil record at Shark Tooth Hill dates back to an interesting time of earth. It was a time where mammals and birds were still evolving, and the early ancestors of humans were just beginning to appear, although very far from these extinct sharks, on the land that is now Africa.
During this time, 23.03 to 2.58 million years ago, ancient beasts such as the wooly mammoth and sabre-tooth tiger still roamed the earth, and giant megalodon and early great white sharks ruled the seas.
In addition to the creatures, our planet was also rapidly evolving. Earth’s surface was a hotbed of activity. The continents were nearly in their current recognizable shape, and the most significant movement was the joining of North and South America.
The global climate cooled, setting the stage for the impending ‘ice age.’ Sea levels were low, and ice caps began to form at the poles. With the lower temperatures, forests turned into grasslands, and with the connection of the Americas animals such as cats, dogs, bears, and horses crossed into South America, and armadillos, ground sloths, procupines and opossums ventured into North America.
Page 4: The Collecting
Bakersfield is a small town, about a 2 hour drive North of Los Angeles. Local collectors know of a handful of sites along the river that produce fossil shark teeth, but the best bang for your buck (and time) is to go to Shark Tooth Hill. For a reasonable fee, one can collect Ernst Quarries, an extremely productive site for these fossils.
Page 5: Valley Fever
Valley Fever
Valley Fever is a type of fungal infection that affects the lungs after breathing in spores that lay dormant in dry soil in areas of California and Arizona. This normally does not pose a threat to the average passer-through, but because of the intense amount of digging on previously undisturbed land, this is a threat to prospective collectors when dust gets kicked into the air. Though it is rare, symptoms can resmble that of pneumonia, and can be quite serious.
A simple dust mask will aid in preventing most all exposure.
