Rare 30,000-year-old BLUE mammoth tusk discovered in Alaska is set for auction, along with 49 other ancient specimens including an 18ft-long ‘sea monster’ and Martian meteorites
- Heritage Auction, located in Texas, is hosting a curated event featuring a number of ancient specimens
- The main attraction of the auction is a rare 30,000-year-old blue woolly mammoth tusk found in Alaska
- The blue coloration is due to a mineral that grew on the tusk while it was buried for thousands of years
- The mineral vivianite starts off as clear, but darkens over time when exposed to oxygen
- The auction also includes an 18ft long mosasaurs, a pristine Ichthyosaur and martian meteorites
Although woolly mammoths have not roamed the Earth for thousands of years, their remains are still being uncovered around the world – and a recent find may be one-of-a-kind.
A miner in Alaska stumbled upon a tusk that belonged to a beast some 30,000 years ago, but the elongated tooth’s natural brownish coloring was intertwined with stunning shades of blue.
The 82-inch curved tusk features a greenish-blue coloration due to the replacement of the mineral vivianite during the fossilization process.
‘One of the interesting thing about this tusk is that the consignor named it ‘The OCEAN,’ Craig Kissick, director, nature and science at the Heritage Auction, told Daily Mail.
‘It is extremely rare and very exciting to be able to offer a tusk of such a superlative nature.’
The Ocean, which is estimated to sell for up to $70,000, is set for auction Friday, along with a number of other ancient fossils including an 18-foot long mosasaurs and pristine Ichthyosaur, along with the ‘most beautiful Martian meteorite.’
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Although woolly mammoths have not roamed the Earth for thousands of years, their remains are still be uncovered around the world – and a recent find may be one-of-a-kind. A miner in Alaska stumbled upon a tusk that belonged to a beast some 30,000 years ago, but the elongated tooth’s natural brownish coloring was intertwined with stunning shades of blue
The woolly mammoth tusk was discovered in 2017 and although valuable, the rare blue coloring makes it an exquisite piece.
The coloration is a result of vivianite growing on the tusk, which starts as a clear mineral, but progressively darkens to shades of blue when exposed to air.
The mineral contains iron, which goes through a chemical reaction when oxygen interacts with it.
It occurs where organic remains of animals, low in iron but high in phosphates, are buried in damp sediment that is relatively rich with iron but phosphate poor.
Remains of an 80 million-year-old mosasaur will also be showcased at the auction with an estimated selling price of $100,000 to $150,000. The fossil weighs more than 300 pounds and features bites from another predatory creature, along with preserved tissue on the neural spine of several of the bones along its tail
Another massive fossil on display is an 11-foot fossilized ichthyosaur that was also an aquatic creature when it roamed the Earth some 250 million years ago. This fossil was found with 100 percent of its natural skill, as well as a preserved ‘manus’ paddle and tail
The Ocean is a near complete tusk, with minimal restoration, and was polished to give it the stunning shine as if it wasn’t trapped in the ice for some 30,000 years.
‘It is one of my favorite pieces in the sale. It checks all the boxes,’ said Kissick.
‘I have been handling remnants like this for 25 years and this is one of the best I have dealt with.’
The blue tusk may be the rarest item set for auction Friday, but it is not the largest or the oldest.
Remains of an 80 million-year-old mosasaur will also be showcased at the auction with an estimated price selling price of $100,000 to $150,000.
‘The giant predatory marine creature was a ‘sea monster’ during the Late Cretaceous and was characterized by a unique skull structure with a short skull with fewer teeth than other mosasaurs and an elongate down-turned tail,’ Heritage Auction explains.
‘The marine creature also boasted prominent ‘steering’ flippers and conical, pointed teeth.’
When it was first discovered, experts determined it had a black mass of contents still in the stomach and is still visible in the current fossil
Many of the pieces up for auction are fossils of creatures that once roamed our planet, but there are others that came here from another world. Found in 2001, meteorite NWA 1950 was discovered in Morocco and determined to have originated from Mars
‘A variety of mosasaur is the State Marine Fossil of Kansas, so it is no surprise this spectacular skeletal specimen originated from the iconic Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the renowned Niobrara Formation in the western section of the Sunflower State.’
Pictured is an 11ft-tall cave bear that roamed lived some 24,000 years ago. It will also go up for auction Friday
The fossil weighs more than 300 pounds and features bites from another predatory creature, along with preserved tissue on the neural spine of several of the bones along its tail.
Another massive fossil on display is an 11-foot fossilized ichthyosaur that was also an aquatic creature when it roamed the Earth some 250 million years ago.
This fossil was found with 100 percent of its natural skull, as well as a preserved ‘manus’ paddle and tail.
When it was first discovered, experts determined it had a black mass of contents still in the stomach and is still visible in the current fossil.
The background rock contains numerous ribbed, golden hue and highly detailed round Ammonite fossil impressions, evidencing the marine environment, and the Jurassic age, of this sedimentary association.
Many of the pieces up for auction are fossils of creatures that once roamed our planet, but there are others that came here from another world.
Found in 2001, meteorite NWA 1950 was discovered in Morocco and determined to have originated from Mars.
The space rock’s face is speckled with yellowish-green and black coloration, and weighs just a little over one-pound.
NWA 1950, nicknamed Jules Verne in honor of the author’s work, has an estimated selling price of $300,000 to $500,000.
The curated auction is focused on ancient and exciting pieces of Earth’s history, which also includes a number of crystals like the ‘Home Sweet Home Mine.’ The stunning specimen was mined in Colorado and features one massive singular rhombohedral crystal of the ‘gemmy’ watermelon-red mineral
Heritage Auction is also featuring skeletal remains of 24,000-year-old cave bear, a 10-foot long ancient crocodile (pictured) and other interesting pieces – there are a total of 50 specimens in the auction
The curated auction is focused on ancient and exciting pieces of Earth’s history, which also includes a number of crystals like the ‘Home Sweet Home Mine.’
The stunning specimen was mined in Colorado and features one massive singular rhombohedral crystal of the ‘gemmy’ watermelon-red mineral perched almost in the middle of an intricate matrix featuring the associated minerals of Fluorite, Tetrahedrite, and Sphalerite.
Heritage Auction is also featuring skeletal remains of 24,000-year-old cave bear, a 10-foot long ancient crocodile and other interesting pieces – there are a total of 50 specimens in the auction.
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