Texas Fossils: An Amateur Collector's Handbook

by William Henry Matthews

Fig. 2. Sketch of a [gastrolith]—the gizzard stone of an ancient reptile.

PSEUDOFOSSILS

Among the many inorganic objects formed by nature there are some that bear superficial resemblance to plants or animals. Because they are often mistaken for organic remains, these objects have been called pseudofossils, or “false fossils.”

Dendrites

Fig. 3. Dendrites. These thin branching mineral deposits bear a marked resemblance to plants, hence they are called pseudofossils.

Although these closely resemble the remains of ferns or other plant material ([fig. 3]), dendrites are actually thin incrustations of manganese dioxide. They are often found along the bedding planes of [Cretaceous] and [Paleozoic] (geologic time scale, [Pl. 1]) limestones in many parts of Texas.

Plate 4
Dinosaur tracks in limestone in bed of Paluxy Creek near Glen Rose, Somervell County, Texas.
Photograph courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History.
Permission to reproduce by R. T. Bird.