mamoth tusk found

imafishingnutt

Bronze Member
Sep 30, 2007
1,675
34
Superior Nebraska
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Whites XLT, Tesoro, Whites DFX, Nokta Impact Pro, Ace 400.
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All Treasure Hunting
one day we had a big storm on the beach and all the sand washed away even up close to the banks
i was finding sinkers and a 1935 quarter a gold chain and even some chunks of pirite in the bottom of the tide pools way up near the bank where the water doesnt get to very often.
as i was enjoying myself finding these treasures i noticed what i thought was a piece of old drift wood but after a closer look i noticed a dark spot in the center of it and it was kida a creamy white color dark spot in the center like a bone .
i thought i had found a whale rib, so i dug it out and its was kida like hard but soft like a hard wet clay, it had been sitting in the wet for a long time.
i took it home and the next day we decided to take it to the marine center so i went out on the porch to get it loaded in the car and to my sad suprise there was nothing but a pile of white goo
my removing it from the watery wet hole it was in was a huge mistake,
all those years of wanting to decay caught up with it in one night.
we did take a piece of the tusk in and was told it was a mammoth tusk...
what a bummer.
the funny thing is when my father helped build the alaska pipe line years ago
they were cutting into the frozen ground when my father found a mammoth tusk
whats the odds of that.
Like father like son....except his in in a museum in alaska where he donated it too.
i hope this is a good lesson for you all
if you ever find an old bone and its in water or a very wet spot,
dont move it unless you can keep the wet ground around it with the move,
if i had known this they would have been able to preserve it for me.
Live and learn
Rick
 

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godisnum1

Silver Member
May 7, 2005
3,646
382
Saint Petersburg, FL
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Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Bummer man! As cautious as I normally am with things, I believe I would have made the same mistake. Guess if it ever happens to me, I'll have your story in the back of my head. ;)

Bran <><
 

possumheaded

Sr. Member
Sep 25, 2006
432
9
Alabama
Detector(s) used
Garrett GTI 2500 & Ace 250, White's DFX, Minelab Explorer XS
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
That is a bummer!! :'( It's interesting that both you and your father have found one though.
I'll keep this story in mind in case I ever have this situiation arise.
 

nebstater

Hero Member
Jul 24, 2007
912
8
Star City
Detector(s) used
White's - DFX,Prizm V, Spectra V3
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Interesting story. Never heard of that before. I have several pieces of petrified ivory, as this area was full of mammoths back in their time. I've dug pieces, found pieces in old river beds, and even found them while raft floating down some of the rivers here. I have one, that used to be about 3' long, but the kid that gave it to me used a hammer on it, and broke it into 5 pieces. What's nice about it is that it is when it petrified, the soil that it was in, instead of petrifing it white, it has opalized. It is deep purples, reds, and several other colors. I've had several offers to buy, as it would make beautiful jewelry, but I just don't want to part with it.

Keep lookin, you might find another one.

HH
 

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