Newb with some potential fossils?

[Rockhound Ryan]

Hi Gang, 

   Just joined the forum and as a rookie in the fossil world I wanted to see if these two rocks were something or nothing.  I love rockhounding for gems and minerals and have done so for well over a decade, been to MANY cool pegmatites, mines, occurances, etc... even a few commercial quarrys which allowed public visits on one certain day.  But my time spent in sedementary rocks is VERY limited so I don't know if I found a keeper, or a leverite. (leverite - as in, "leave her right there, its just a rock").  I have found a few obvious keepers, a few ferns, various sea creatures, and even a pair of lovely trilobytes, but those were obvious and when I found them, I knew exactly what I had.  These two rocks are well... a mystery to me.  If a kind soul could help me out I'd be mighty thankful.  

 

Specimen one is almost certainly sandstone, and it has tree-branch looking segments that I took to be just that, some form of vegetation.  Like the shaft of a cattail or branches of some prehistoric tree.  Specimen two is also likely sandstone, it has abundant small pyrite and mica flecks as local sandstones tend to have, and comes from a local roadcut they just cut (which I couldn't help but explore looking for ironstone concretions which locally can hold a variety of rare wurtzite polymorph).  It has several "blebs" of dark matter and the one in the center of the frame looked "biological" to me as opposed to just an ovoid rock.  It also has an odd speckled texture, almost reminiscent of some sea-bug or critter.   Though I sure wouldn't be one to know.  Anyone got an idea what these are? 

Edited November 20, 2022 by Rockhound Ryan
correction

[FranzBernhard]

Welcome to TFF from Austria!

 

First one has some plant impressions, but I don´t know what kind of plant(s).

 

Second one is more difficult - no idea!

 

Other members will comment soon, stay tuned!

 

Franz Bernhard

[Darktooth]

Both specimens are interesting enough to be picked up. Unfortunately nothing jumps out to me as to what they might be. First does sort of look like plant material. Second looks like a concretion to me.

[Rockwood]

I have a couple guesses. The first one sort of fits the look of Archaeopteris wood. The second may be water warn chunks (clasts) of a charcoal and clay that has been reworked.

[JohnJ]

A general location or local geologic setting would be useful in identifications.  

[Rockhound Ryan]

@JohnJ Of course, newbie mistake.  This was found at a new roadcut north of Pittsburgh PA.  The roadcut goes into alternating lenses of mostly sandstone interbedded with thin lenses of shale and limestone.   The entire Pittsburgh area is a well-known coal producing rock unit, although little to no coal is observed in this cut.  Based on my geological map this would be part of the Conemaugh formation.  In the past I have found ferns, shells, and other mollusk fossils in other nearby railroad and road cuts, although that is almost always in the limestone/shale lenses.  These are both in Sandstone.  I'm at a loss but I really appreciate the help I've received so far! Thanks! 

[Bringing Fossils to Life]

This looks like a big Carboniferous tree fern I received as a gift. The blobs remind me of a possible seed thing I found in Catskill plants. I am no expert at plants.