Mazon Creek Tree Bark?

[Jay-bow]

In years past I've collected the occasional fern fossil from the bed of Mazon Creek while fishing, and that's largely been the extent of my fossil collecting. Today I decided to take a short trip down to Mazonia Braidwood to collect fossils and look for morels. After some walking I did manage to locate some spoil piles and managed to bring home some interesting items. The item in question appears to be limestone with some interesting grooved marks in it. At first I thought it may be due to some piece of toothed mining equipment, but I don't think so, the grooves are too irregular and somewhat narrow. I'm thinking it may be tree bark. Thoughts?

Edited April 23 by Jay-bow

[connorp]

Better pictures would help. The ones you posted are not in focus. It could be lycopsid bark. But if it truly is limestone, then no not bark. Bark like this shows up there in chunks of sandstone. Any limestone there is a glacial erratic.

Edited April 23 by connorp

[Jay-bow]

I hope this helps, thanks for looking. If this wasn't limestone could it be siderite?

Edited April 24 by Jay-bow
additional photos

[Coco]

Why siderite ? It is rather a mineral (thus able to crystallize and having a determined chemical formula) than a rock.

 

Coco

[Mark Kmiecik]

10 hours ago, Coco said:

Why siderite ? It is rather a mineral (thus able to crystallize and having a determined chemical formula) than a rock.

 

Coco

 

Mazon Creek fossils are contained in iron siderite concretions. 

 

From the color and texture I see in the photos, I would say this is not siderite. The fossil is plant material in my opinion, and most probably the impression left by decorticated bark. However, photos can be deceiving, so I wouldn't take this ID as gospel or anything close to it. Wood fragment fossils are common in the strata above and below the Francis Creek Shale member, so both are quite likely to be included in the mines' spoil piles.

[Coco]

Ah Ok @Mark Kmiecik, I understand.

 

Coco

[Jay-bow]

For the record this specimen was collected at Tipple Hill at Mazonia. Other than ironstone and coal, what types of rock are one likely to find there? I did notice a fair amount of what appeared to be granite around the site.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Sandstone, limestone and tons of shale. Pretty much everything else is glacial erratics.

[Jay-bow]

This what I collected at Tipple on my very first trip to Mazonia that day, all of which are in the freezer now:

Edited April 26 by Jay-bow