Month: October 2023
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Trilobite Tuesday #47: Six new species of Western Australian trilobites discovered
Phys.org has a story about the discovery of six new species of Australian trilobites. The new animals hail from deep underground in Canning Basin of Western Australia. Their discovery was via a stratigraphic drilling program by the Geological Survey of Western Australia and Geoscience Australia. It sheds light on both ancient life and the geologic…
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Mazon Monday #188: He looks for Tullys in gullies – Andy Hay
This is Mazon Monday post #188. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Tullimonstrum gregarium was first discovered by Francis Tully in the mid-1950s in the legendary Pit 11 fossil locality. It was described by Ralph Johnson and Eugene Richardson Jr. in the article “Pennsylvanian Invertebrates of the Mazon Creek Area, Illinois:…
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Feather-tailed possums in New Guinea were originally Aussies, according to fossil study
The New Guinean feather-tailed possum, Distoechurus pennatus, never developed gliding. Credit: UNSW Sydney Phys.org as a story about possums in New Guinea. A paper in Alcheringa : An Australasain Journal of Paleontology analyzed fossils from Riversleigh and found interesting facts about the ancestors of a tiny possum. Biologists have long known that miniature feather-tailed possums…
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PBS Eons: Are Giant Animals Inevitable?
PBS Eons has a new episode on Youtube. This one is about large animals, are they inevitable? The journey the thunder beasts took to reach such mega proportions from such humble beginnings forces us to ask an important question, one that paleontologists have been asking for more than a century: from an evolutionary perspective, is…
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Fossil Friday #184: Gilpichthys greenei from Mazon Creek
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #184. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! Today, we have a beautiful, huge Gilpichthys…
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Throwback Thursday #185: ESCONI Flea Market 2000 #fleamarket
This is Throwback Thursday #185. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! ESCONI held a Flea Market on October 7th, 2000 at the College of DuPage in Building K, which…
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Stone by Ancient Stone, Mexico Recovers Its Lost Treasure
The New York Times has a story about how Mexico is working to restore and preserve its cultural heritage. American officials are helping to track down and restore stolen antiquities from Mexico and restore the items to their rightful owners. Many of the artifacts, stolen years ago, sell to collectors for upwards of a million…
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Jurassic pliosaur ‘megapredator’ was a giant ‘sea murderer’
Live Science has a story about a “megapredator” of the Jurassic. The new pliosaur species, Lorrainosaurus, lived about 170 million years ago. Pliosaurs ruled the oceans during the Jurassic. This animal was found in the former region of Lorraine (now part of Grand Est) in northeastern France. A paper in the journal Scientific Reports reexamined…
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Mazon Monday #187: Palaeocampa anthrax
This is Mazon Monday post #187. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Palaeocampa anthrax was an polychaete worm, believed to be similar to a group of modern day annulid worms referred to as fireworms. It was described by Fielding Bradford Meek (1817-1876) and Amos Henry Worthen (1813-1888) in “Notice of some…
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During the Age of Dinosaurs, Some Birds Sported Toothy Grins
Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting article about birds with teeth. Before the K-Pg event at the end of the Cretaceous Period, most birds had teeth, but those species are rarely discussed. One of the first toothed bird discovered, was Hesperornis in the 1870’s. Early birds such as Archaeopteryx don’t look all that different from the small, carnivorous dinosaurs they…
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How Smithsonian Fossil Preparators Are Re-Excavating a Tyrannosaur from Its Past on Display
Smithsonian Magazine’s National Fossil Day post looks at a tyrannosaur specimen that has been on display for many years. The animal, Gorgosaurus libratus, had been at the museum since 1918. It was found in the rugged badlands around the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada. It lived about 75 million years ago during the Cretaceous…
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Fossil Friday #183: Mazon Creek Spider
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #183. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! For this week, we have a breathtaking…
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Throwback Thursday #184: Crater of Diamonds State Park 1972
This is Throwback Thursday #184. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Located near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, Crater of Diamonds is a State Park of Arkansas. It’s the only place in…
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Rare Jurassic fossils discovered near Lake Powell
Phys.org has a story about the discovery of some rare fossils new Lake Powell in Utah. Tritylodontid mammaliaforms are rare animals that lived during the Jurassic Period about 180 million years ago. The fossils were discovered in an area that would ordinarily be covered in water… you might say that the paleontologists were in the…
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Black Hawk Gem and Mineral Club Fall 2023 Rock, Gem and Jewelry Show – October 28th, 29th, 2023 at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, IA
The Blackhawk Gem and Mineral Club is holding its Fall Show on October 29th & 30th, 2023. BLACK HAWK GEM AND MINERAL CLUB FALL ROCK, GEM AND JEWELRY SHOWMississippi Valley Fairgrounds2815 W Locust St.Davenport. Iowa Sat. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sun. 11 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The show will feature rocks, minerals, fossils, agates, geodes, tumbled stones,…
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Mazon Monday #186: Mazon Creek Fossil Day
This is Mazon Monday post #186. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. ESCONI and the Carbon Hill School Museum sponsored “Mazon Creek Fossil Day” on October 14th, 2023. The event was a celebration of Mazon Creek amateur fossil collectors and their contributions to Paleontology. There were fossil displays, two presentations, and…
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MAPS 2023 “The Devonian” – October 20-22, 2023, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL
The MAPS show is being held October 20th to 22nd, 2022 in Springfield, IL. The topic is “The Devonian II”. The Keynote Address will be given by Dr. Jed Day of Illinois State University on Friday Evening. DATES: October 21-23, 2022. LOCATION: EXPO XLIV will be held at the Orr Building located on the Illinois State Fairgrounds,…
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Mazon Creek Fossil Day, October 14th, 2023, 10 AM to 3 PM, Coal City Public Library
Today is the day! Come on out! JOIN US FOR MAZON CREEK FOSSIL DAY Coal City Public LibraryOctober 14, 202310 AM to 3 PM Displays of Mazon Creek FossilsIdentification of Mazon Creek FossilsBooks on Mazon Creek Fossils for saleLecture on collecting Mazon CreekFossils at 1 PM Download Flyer Presented by ESCONI (Earth Science Club ofNorthern…
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Fossil Friday #182: Lepidodendron Bark
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #182. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! Lepidodendron, also known as “scale tree”, is…
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Throwback Thursday #183: Braidwood Historical Society
This is Throwback Thursday #183. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! While doing some research on the area, I stopped by the Braidwood Area Historical Society last Saturday. I…
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Happy National Fossil Day 2023!!!
Go to the official website by the National Park Service. The theme this year is “The Rise of Ancient Life in our National Parks and Monuments”. The official poster is shown above. During 2023 we celebrate the 14th Anniversary of National Fossil Day! Join paleontologists, educators, and students in fossil-related events and activities across the…
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ESCONI October 2023 General Meeting – Friday, October 13th, 2023 at 8:00 PM via Zoom – “Microfossils to Mosasaurs: A Journey Through the University of Iowa Paleontology Repository”
The speaker at the ESCONI October 2023 General Meeting is Tiffany Adrain, who works as the Paleontology Repository Collections Manager at the University of Iowa. The topic of her presentation is “Microfossils to Mosasaurs: A Journey Through the University of Iowa Paleontology Repository”. The meeting will be held on Friday, October 13th, 2023 at 08:00…
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Mazon Monday #185: The Naming of the Tully Monster
This is Mazon Monday post #185. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. The Tully Monster was named the state fossil in 1989. Unfortunately, this was about two years after Francis Tully, its namesake, had passed away. The following article appeared in the April 1989 edition of the ESCONI newsletter. It was…
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Mazon Creek Fossil Day, October 14th, 2023, 10 AM to 3 PM, Coal City Public Library
JOIN US FOR MAZON CREEK FOSSIL DAY Coal City Public LibraryOctober 14, 202310 AM to 3 PM Displays of Mazon Creek FossilsIdentification of Mazon Creek FossilsBooks on Mazon Creek Fossils for saleLecture on collecting Mazon CreekFossils at 1 PM Download Flyer Presented by ESCONI (Earth Science Club ofNorthern Illinois) and the Carbon Hill SchoolMuseum
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New ‘Giant’ Species of Long-Necked Dinosaur Discovered in Spain
Smithsonian Magazine has a story about the discovery of a new sauropod dinosaur. The dinosaur, Garumbatitan morellensis, lived about 122 million years ago, which is the Cretaceous Period. The specimen was found near Morella in eastern Spain, which is part of the species name. The new animal was described in the journal Zoological Journal of…
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Fossil Friday #181: Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #181. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! This week, we have a rather nice…
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Throwback Thursday #182: Looking Back At ESCONI for October 2023
This is Throwback Thursday #182. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! 25 Years Ago – October 1998 50 Years Ago – October 1973 70 Years Ago – October 1953
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Wonderful Early Silurian Life
Sci-News has a story about interesting new fossils from Wisconsin. The Waukesha Biota, a Silurian lagerstatten located near Milwaukee, dates to about 437 million years ago. The deposit preserves an ancient tidal lagoon. The fossils are found in a fine-grained mudstone known as the Brandon Bridge Formation. The locality and its fauna are described in…
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ESCONI Events October 2023
Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Fri, Oct 13th ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 PM – Topic: “Microfossils to Mosasaurs: a Journey Through the University of Iowa Paleontology Repository” by Tiffany Adrain, University of Iowa Paleontology Repository Collections Manager Zoom link Sat, Oct 14th ESCONI Junior Meeting – 6:30 PM at…
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Trilobite Tuesday #46: Trilobite’s last meal
CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks show has a segment about a trilobite’s last meal. The trilobite specimen, Bohemolichas incola, was found in a 465 million year old (Ordovician Period) shale deposit. A 465 million year old trilobite fossil with remarkably preserved gut contents reveals for the first time what these extinct arthropods ate. Per Ahlberg, a…
