Possible Dino footprint found in overburden pile on private land with permission

[Narbuff]

This was found on private land in western MA in the Connecticut River valley. There is 1 clear 'footprint', a possible tail drag, and the imprint of another possible footprint behind it.

 

Any advice, thoughts, or identifications are welcome. Thank you!

[jpc]

can you show us a photo with the light at a low angle?  By this, I mean shining the light almost parallel to the surface.  This way the three dimensional aspects are much easier to see.  

[Terminal Stareasaurus]

That's curious....

[Narbuff]

Sure! I did my best, I hope this helps. Happy to take more photos too if these don't work.

[Fossildude19]

Personally, not really seeing a footprint here. 

[Terminal Stareasaurus]

What I do sometimes is a rubbing like a rubbing of a gravestone. Sometimes I get a kinda 3 dimensional effect.

[jpc]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

Personally, not really seeing a footprint here. 

me neither

[Troodon]

Tough call, not seeing your traditional pads and tridactayl impression.  Others exist, here a paper on that locality.  Might generate some discussion.

olsen_88_sm3.pdf

[Narbuff]

There's no way this could be some sort of small or juvenile sauropodomorph (footprint in attached figure) right?

 

@Troodon, I could also see it resembling G in the figure you shared.

 

I've also attached 2 pictures showing different orientations/perspectives of this piece. 

 

The preserved surface of this slab seems to be muddy river bed, and this indentation (to my admittedly novice eyes) looks like it isn't random...but I admit I might be reaching here.

 

Thank you everyone for your input!

[Fossildude19]

I don't believe so. 

 

This picture kind of tells the story for me.

 

No real individual toe impressions. Looks more like sedimentary structures to me.

Too amorphous looking .

 

[Troodon]

I'm really not an expert on ichnofossils and suggested you contact the author of the paper I attached.  Anything I say would be a guess

Contact

https://eesc.columbia.edu/content/paul-e-olsen

[Mahnmut]

Hi Narbuff,

I am no expert, much less so than the others who have stated their opinion here. 

Thats a piece I would definitely keep, and I think its close enough to contact the author mentioned above. Maybe its an incomplete or distorted footprint, maybe its pure coincidence, and probably you will never know for sure, which is often the case with single tentative prints. But I definitely see what caught your eye.

Best Regards,

J