Strange rock/possible fossil???

[The007Fossil]

I live in southern Michigan in the Oakland County area. There are a lot of gravel pits in the area that are full of fossils from up north and the Canadian Shield that were brought over by the glaciers in previous times. Most of my fossil collection from the area consists of red limestone rocks with corals, pieces of crinoids, and brachiopods. This rock, however, is different.

 

A few years ago I found a neat rock in my backyard. Took a few more pictures of the matrix itself, but there's a limit to the number of pictures I can post at once. I'm not an expert in geology, so I'm not sure what kind of rock this is exactly, but it's certainly not limestone or some sedimentary shale. The rock is quite hard, difficult to chip with a hammer, and appears to have many silicate inclusions. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's granite. On the edge of the rock there is an interesting black protrusion of material that looks decidedly different from the rest of the stone.

 

Since the rock looks like an igneous rock, I don't think the black mark could be a fossil, but at the same time, maybe the rock once was a sedimentary stone that metamorphosed into what I'm looking at.... Like I said, I know nothing about rocks, so I'm just guessing. Is it possible this is a fossil?

 

Good Hunting,

Brian

 

 

[Rockwood]

It could be hornfels, metamorphosed mudstone. It often has mineral inclusions. Fossils are rarely identifiable in it though.