Dendritic Crystal Growth

Sometimes these are considered pseudofossils but they are manganese oxides - dendritic crystal growth.  This specimen was found in Solnhofen, Bayern, Germany.  It is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (2010).

Dendrites - Plant Pseudofossil?

While at the home and garden supply store picking up concrete materials, this rock was in the landscaping area.  I could not let it get torn up so I saved it from becoming part of a walkway.  Not sure where it came from or exactly what it is. The rock is in layers in a pinkish-red color with dendrite patterns through out.  On one edge is a collection of small crystals.  If the rock could be split it appears more layers have the dendrite pattern.

A Dendrites Forest

My cousin gave me some pictures of these dendrites. It reminds me of looking down on little trees. He did not tell me if he or his brother found them but it is a nice find.

These manganese oxide deposits for the most part have a well defined form.

A Pseudofossil Called Dendrites

If you type pseudofossil into the image search engine section of Google, images like the ones shown below will start to appear. These mineral deposits of manganese oxide were created when mineral enriched water seeped into the cracks of this rock. After the water departed, these mineral patterns were left.

The patterns remind me of a little branching plant or fractals defined by mathematics.

This rock is probably Devonian so these pattern formed sometime in the last 400 million years.