sedimentary

Sandstone with Trace Fossils

Arenite / Quartzwacke with Ichnofossils

Hardness: 6-7 on Mohs scale depending on cementation; Color: Tan, buff, or brownish-yellow; Luster: Dull or earthy; Crystal structure: Clastic (sand grains); Cleavage: None; Contains visible animal burrows or trackways (trace fossils).

Hardness: 6-7 on Mohs scale depending on cementation
Color: Tan, buff, or brownish-yellow
Luster: Dull or earthy

Identified June 19, 2026More sedimentary →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed through the accumulation and litification of sand-sized grains in ancient riverbeds, deltas, or coastal environments. The trace fossils likely represent burrows created by organisms in the soft sediment before it hardened into rock.

Uses & applications

Commonly used as flagstone in landscaping and construction, decorative building facades, and as an educational tool for paleontological study.

Geological facts

Unlike body fossils (bones or shells), trace fossils show the behavior of prehistoric life, such as how they moved or fed. Many common sandstones with these markings are dated from the Paleozoic or Mesozoic eras.

Field identification & locations

Identify by the gritty sand texture and the presence of raised or recessed tracks/tubes (ichnofossils). Found globally in sedimentary basins, particularly in the American Southwest or the United Kingdom.

Other sedimentary specimens

See all

Sandstone or Siltstone

Arenite (if sandstone)

Sedimentary

Chert Breccia

Brecciated Chert (Microcrystalline Silica)

sedimentary

Sandstone Grain

Clastic Sedimentary Rock Grain (SiO2 dominated)

sedimentary

Sandstone

Arenite (primarily SiO2)

sedimentary

Shale or Slaty Mudstone

Argillaceous sedimentary rock

sedimentary

Sandstone

Arenite

sedimentary