New Zealand fossil enthusiast Mamlambo experimented with a bizarre method of extracting treasures from parts of the earth and seabed.

Footage from December 12 shows the method of baking parts of the earth with suspected fossils, in which the surrounding dirt breaks down and becomes easier to sift through.

Additional footage shows Mamlambo baking in the oven and boiling on the stove the fragments of dirt and earth.

Once it has been sifted he places it on a tray and uses a large microscope to seek out any hidden micro-fossils, where he finds 20-million-year-old teeth from sharks and fish.

Mamlambo explained: "Earlier in the year, I was out looking for shark teeth in a Miocene greensand layer.

"I didn't find any shark teeth on the day but found an area where someone had dug out a section of the cliff.

"I picked up as many pieces as I could and brought them home with me.

"Do NOT ever remove rock from the cliff as this erodes the beach.

"I had heard that baking greensand and then submerging it in boiling water breaks it down into a slurry that can be sifted.

"Taking over the kitchen for two days, I went about this and got some pretty good results!

"I baked it for two days at 50 degrees Celsius.

"The little twig bits are bits of coral."

Credit: Mamlambo Fossils
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mamlambo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamlambo_nz/

Key facts:
- Greensand gets the green colour from the mineral glauconite
- Greensand used to be the seabed millions of years ago
- This greensand layer is around 20-million-years old
- Ikamauias (the two long, thin barben ones from a sawshark), Notorhynchus (looks like multiple teeth stuck together), Carcharius (the one with the tiny cusp on the side) and Odontadpis (the large broken one) are some of the species found in this video

Earlier in the year, I was out looking for shark teeth in a Miocene greensand layer. I didn't find any shark teeth on the day, but found an area where someone had dug out a section of the cliff. I picked up as many pieces as I could and brought them home with me. Do NOT ever remove rock from the cliff as this erodes the beach.

I had heard that baking greensand and then submerging it in boiling water breaks it down into a slurry that can be sifted. Taking over the kitchen for 2 days, I went about this and got some pretty good results!

I baked it for 2 days at 50 degrees Celsius.

The little twig bits are bits of coral.