PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY- Could this be a fossil footprint?

[Jessclusively]

Hi these what look to be possible prints Were found on our property in east tennessee on a rock that is in our backyard. I am just wondering if this could possibly be any type of fossil footprint? And if it is possible what could it possibly be? Any opinions or insights as to what this could possibly be would be much appreciated and I thank you all in advance.. Oh and I need to add that I am also posting pictures of a cassette we made that shows detail a lot better than what the pictures could because it's so hard to see it in the rock. It is about 14 inches long and about 6 and a 1/2 inches wide at the longest and widest parts. If you look closely you can see definition of what looks to be claws and the actual print cast that we took doesn't have the middle toe. Because the middle toe wasn't connected with the actual print. It was like it was stuck in, but separate like it was lifted or something, if that makes any sense.. So there's a third toe in the middle, that isn't being shown on the cast. But you can see it on the pictures.. And one last thing to note that may be of importance, There is another print that's tiny, but it's exactly like the big one that's right with the big print.. So we didn't know if maybe this was possibly a mother and child print. If so, the little guy got one print in as well.

Thanks again for any opinions or insight.As to what these could possibly be and have a wonderful day!

[Jessclusively]

Oh & please note, that this is the very 1st time I've ever attempted a footprint cast so please forgive me on how bad of a job I did.  If need be, I can make another 1 as soon as I  am able to make it to the store to get more plaster of paris.. fortunately,  you learn quickly, what not to do when making a cast lol thanks again all...

[Tidgy's Dad]

It is a rather interesting piece, but I don't believe it to be a footprint.

My guess is that this has been caused by differential weathering of the rock layers.

[Rockwood]

Tracks are usually at least partly surrounded by disturbed or displaced sediment. I have to agree that this doesn't look like a track. 

[Jessclusively]

No this most definitely isn't from water. This track has been smushed down into the mud until it hit whatever was underneath.. I will post better pics bc we know that it's a track,we just don't know what could've caused such a print & an exact copy but smaller next to it. I've seen water formations in rocks many times & this is different. There's even a scratching or digging next to the smaller print. These were definitely put there by something. It's like stamped into the rock. I'll show u better pics while it's still light outside. Gimme just a min. N thanks again.

[Fossildude19]

Could be a sedimentary structure of some sort, but I don't think it is a track. 

 

Eastern Tennessee's stratigraphy is too old for anything to have been around to leave this kind of a "footprint".

 

 

 

Speaking of which, I know of no animal that would have left an imprint like this:

 

 

 

But something does make similar marks.

 

Flute casts.

Link   to image source

[Jessclusively]

It honestly looks like a print. But maybe it isn't. But the print or mark has a partially double mark made by something else. And it isn't a 2 toed creature IF it were a print, it's a 3 toes but the 1 in the middle definitely would've been able to retract its claw. You can see the 3rd toe if u were here on person if we were talking about a print.. and the fact that it can't be a print bc Tn is too old, is that only the case for normal conditions? If something catastrophic, like a meteor impact, or volcano eruption, mudslide or a cavern cave-in, or something of that nature, couldn't that possibly make a special circumstance to hypothetically, cause fossilized footprints/fossilized dinosaurs, etc. Out of the normal circumstances? Is that possible. And plz by no means think I'm correcting anybody or saying they are wrong. I'm truly trying to learn about this. I'm enrolling I'm the fall for paleontology & want to make a career of this. I find it to be 1 of the most fascinating & important professions out there. So this is truly a learning experience.  And sorry to jump around, but why can't there be fossilized prints only during certain times? And it might be of importance that our Land sits high up on a hill with a sharp incline & we have sink holes & caverns everywhere here. You can't walk thru the woods without your foot falling thru at least a few inches every few yards. And u also cannot dig on the property hardly anywhere, not even to bury an animal pet that died without a cave or hole opening up if you dig more than 3ft.. and when they were digging the well, they had ro dig to unusual depths due to the fact that they kept hitting huge caverns.  And it may or may not be important to note also, that there is an abundance of fossils on the property that have been verified thru a local small family owned museum in knoxville, TN but they were reptiles & amphibians mostly & some dinosaur teeth most likely..we've even found shark teeth here? Oh & you can't throw a stone without hitting petrified wood. It's literally everywhere! Beautiful opalized fossilized wood... molten rocks, and as well as gold & platinum 100% verified. We find it a whole lot in schist type rocks, even the petrified wood has gold in it. A ton of quartz rock & abundant Flintstone & what looks like a mud rock which I presume is slate rock but just muddy looking. I'm not entirely sure what u call it. And We have magnatite, igneous type rocks, & hematite and rhyolite, basalt, pumice, and andesite, kimberlite & granite and we have a black Sulphur spring right down the rd.  Just wanted to give info about the property that I am aware  of. And there is more petrified wood here than I've ever seen anywhere. It's like more abundant that reg rocks you'd expect to find, like limestone or sandstone. Is that normal? To have such an abundance of it? I had never even found it in nature before moving here. And now I could sell it by the ton, no exaggeration. Sorry for the long post and any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much guys for your help & even your objections.

[Kane]

If a potential specimen requires an extraordinary explanation of various geologic forces and processes that may not be supported by what is known about the geology of the area, the application of Occam's Razor would suggest the probability of this being of biogenic origin decreases substantially. From the description of the rocks found there, it sounds like the area is mostly composed of Precambrian rock, so a footprint is not at all likely. For instance, the presence of granite and other mafic rocks all but rules out the presence of fossils.

[Mahnmut]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I do agree that flute cast is a more likely explanation for this than footprint and reccomend looking at multiple pics of flutecasts and fossil prints for comparison.

On the other hand, if it is a flutecast, thats a feature of sedimentary rocks that could theoretically hold prints, if they are from a time when feet where around.

Most features of the region you discribe do not sound like that.

Best Regards,

J

[Mahnmut]

When you are going to study geology/palaeontology, this is a good opportunity ,as you mentioned.

Find out more about the known fossils you mentioned and about the place where your find comes from.

Make your own little survey of the rocks in the proximity. Learn about flutecasts and fossil prints.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_markings

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_fossil

Learn what there is to learn. And stay open for the possible result that its not a footprint but an interesting geologic feature.

J

Edited May 7 by Mahnmut
spelling, addition

[Fossildude19]

2 hours ago, Jessclusively said:

 And it may or may not be important to note also, that there is an abundance of fossils on the property that have been verified thru a local small family owned museum in knoxville, TN but they were reptiles & amphibians mostly & some dinosaur teeth most likely..we've even found shark teeth here?

 

 

Was anyone at the museum a Paleontologist?

 

Do you have pictures of the supposed petrified wood,  reptile and shark teeth?