Alaskan Woolly Mammoth Ivory Tusks

Description

A matching set of woolly mammoth tusks.

Due to the nature of the permafrost, these specimens were discovered close in proximity to one another in different years. One was found deeper down closer to bedrock in orange clay, causing an orange coloration to the tusk highlighted in its restoration. The other tusk displays blue vivianite, a mineral that forms on the tusk due to presence of phosphorus in surrounding muck. Permafrost in Alaska shifts and moves over time which is why entire skeletons are rarely found in one location and matching sets are exceedingly rare.

Fossil mammoth ivory is distinguished from present-day elephant ivory by the angle of crosshatching (Schreger lines). This set is not from The Boneyard Alaska location, but another creek north of the renowned site.