Ferns or Pseudofossils?

(Fig. 01)

(Fig. 02)

Figures 01-03 are three different specimen’s of sandstone that contain dendrite, a crystal that develops with a typical multi-branching tree-like form, that I picked up while hiking Weiser Ridge, Nevada. Pseudofossils are markings, or impressions that might be mistaken for fossils. Pseudofossils may be misleading, as some types of mineral deposits can mimic life forms by forming what appear to be highly detailed or organized structures. (Fig. 03)

The term "dendrite" comes from the Greek word dendron, which means "tree". The most common example of this is when manganese oxides crystallize with a characteristic treelike or dendritic pattern along a rock fracture. They form when water rich in manganese and iron flows along fractures and bedding planes between layers of limestone and other rock types, depositing dendritic crystals as the solution flows through. A variety of manganese oxides and hydroxides can often be involved. The formation of frost dendrites on a window is another common example of this crystal growth. Concretions, are sometimes thought to be fossils, and occasionally one contains a fossil, but are generally not fossils themselves. Click here to learn more about concretions ... Concretions. (Information was taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)