Month: April 2025
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ESCONI Field Trip to Napoleon Quarry in Napoleon Indiana – May 31st, 2025
This trip is currently full. There is a waiting list. There will be an ESCONI field trip on Saturday, May 31, 2025, to the quarry just east of Napoleon, Indiana. There is an attendance limit of 15 people. We need to meet, no exceptions, at the quarry entrance at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The quarry exposes…
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PBS Eons: Could This Sperm Whale Eat The Meg?
There’s a new PBS Eons. This one is about Sperm Whales and the fearsome shark Megalodon… who would eat who?!? Unlike in fiction, giant whales do not emerge fully-formed from the ocean deep. So, where did Livyatan melvillei come from? How did such a large predator live? And what caused the titan to die out?…
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Mazon Monday #266: Rhacophyllum cornutum
This is Mazon Monday post #266. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Rhacophyllum cornutum was described by Leo Lesquereux in 1879. Lesquereux was a Swiss-born bryologist and a pioneer of American paleobotany. Lesquereux is credited with naming the Mazon Creek fossil deposit in his 1870 report “Report on the Fossil Plants…
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Jurassic Sea Monster Resurfaces: Rare Fossil Unveils Secrets of Plesiosaur Evolution
SciTechDaily has a story about the discovery of a new plesiosaur in Gernany. The fossil specimen is a remarkably preserved Plesiopterys wildi from Holzmaden’s Posidonienschiefer Formation. It sheds light on the diversity of plesiosaurs during the early Jurassic Period about 180 million years ago. The research was published in the journal PeerJ Life and Environment.…
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Video for ESCONI Paleontology Meeting April 2025 – “A New Cincinnatian Crinoid Species: Discovery, Research, Publication and Working with the Pros”
The April 2025 Paleontology Group Meeting was held on April 19th, 2025. It was a Zoom presentation by Jack Kallmeyer titled “A New Cincinnatian Crinoid Species: Discovery, Research, Publication and Working with the Pros”. Jack’s program will not be a tedious review of the features of the new species of crinoid that he discovered. Rather,…
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Fossil Friday #262: Rhacophyllum cornutum
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #262. 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! —————————————————– Rhacophyllum cornutum is a rare Mazon…
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Throwback Thursday #262: Time for Spring Cleaning at the Field Museum
This is Throwback Thursday #262. 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! The Field Museum had a recent post about Spring Cleaning over on LinkedIn. 🪶 Feather dusting Akeley’s Fighting…
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Video for ESCONI General Meeting April 2025 – “Geological Framework of Indiana”
The April 2025 General Meeting was held via Zoom on April 11th, 2025. Our speaker was Todd Thompson. Todd is the Director and State Geologist of Indiana. His presentation will give an overview of the geology of Indiana, focusing on structures, stratigraphy, and paleogeography through time.
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MAPS EXPO 2025 – May 9th-11th, 2025 in Springfield, IL
EXPO 2025 May 9th-11th, 2025 Hours: 9am-5pm Fri, 8am-5pm Sat, 8am-3pm Sun The Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, IL. The theme for the EXPO Digest 2025 is Extinctions Download 2025 Flier EXPO 2025 Informational Newsletter
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Mazon Monday #265: Historic Collectors – John and Lucy McLuckie
This is Mazon Monday post #265. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. John McLuckie, a prominent figure in the history of Mazon Creek fossil collecting and an early member of ESCONI, was well known—along with his wife Lucy—for their extraordinary fossil collection. The two are pictured together on the left in…
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Intelligence Evolved at Least Twice in Vertebrate Animals
Quanta Magazine has an interesting piece about the evolution of intelligence. A variety of nonhuman species display intelligent behavior and advanced cognitive abilities. When did it evolve? Were the basic neural pathways inherited from a common ancestor or did it evolve separately in a case of convergent evolution? A series of studies published in the…
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The largest flood in Earth’s history burst through Gibraltar and Sicily and refilled the entire Mediterranean in just a few years
The Conversation has an article about the mother of all floods… the flooding of the Mediterranean about 5 million years ago. The Atlantic Ocean seeped it’s way through Strait of Gibraltar, which was blocked by the movement of tectonic plates. This caused the Mediterranean Sea to dry up and led to the formation of large…
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Fossil Friday #261: Crossotheca boulayi
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #261. 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! —————————————————– We have one of the rarer…
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Throwback Thursday #261: Roger Bohn
This is Throwback Thursday #261. 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! We are saddened to share that Roger Bohn (1932–2024) passed away in October 2024. Roger served as ESCONI’s…
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ESCONI Field Trip to Braceville, IL for Mazon Creek Fossils – Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th, 2025
This trip is full. We do have a waiting list. Braceville Field Trip Rules for May 2025 The ESCONI field trips to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils are set for May 17 and 18, 2025 from 9 AM to 3 PM. You can attend one or the other, but not both days. There is an…
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Scientists shed light on life and times of ‘Fiona’ the pregnant ichthyosaur
Phys.org has a story about Fiona, the pregnant ichthyosaur. Fiona lived about 131 million years ago during the early Cretaceous Period. Her remains were discovered a few years ago in a glacian ice field in Patagona. Her story was published in a paper in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Fiona is the only fully preserved…
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Mazon Monday #264: Crossotheca boulayi
This is Mazon Monday post #264. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Crossotheca boulayi is one of the rarer seed ferns in the Mazon Creek fossil biota. It was first described as Alethopteris hymenophylloides by Leo Lesquereux in 1870. The name was changed to Crossotheca boulayi by Charles Rene Zeiller (1847-1915). …
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7,000-Year-Old Skeletons From the ‘Green Sahara’ Reveal a Mysterious Human Lineage
Smithsonian Magazine has a story about two mysterious skeletons found in Libya. As recent as 5,000 year ago, the area of the Sahara desert was a lush and green landscape with lakes and rivers. The land sustained a diverse variety of animals. It shouldn’t be surprising that humans were also lived there. Recently, 15 human…
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PBS Eons: Pandas in North America?
PBS Eons has a new video. Pandas in America?!? How? How did a relative of the red panda end up in North America? What can this tell us about how long ago – and how many times – North America was connected to Europe and Asia?
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Fossil Friday #260: Lobatelson mclaughlinae
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #260. 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 very nice…
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Throwback Thursday #260: New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU)
This is Throwback Thursday #260. 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! email:esconi.info@gmail.com. William (Bill) Allaway was one of the founding members of ESCONI in 1949. And actually, the first…
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252-Million-Year-Old Fossils Reveal Secrets of Triassic Life
SciTechDaily has an article about a new survey of the Triassic fossils from Germany. Researchers found interesting correlations between fossil animals and their associated palaeoenvironments with implications for modern day consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss. The study “Triassic terrestrial tetrapod faunas of the Central European Basin, their stratigraphical distribution, and their palaeoenvironments” was…
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The Dinosaur Database
The Dinosaur Database looks to be an interesting resourrce for all things dinosaur! Dinosaurs are categorized by region/continent and time period. A great place for dinosaur fans of all ages! Welcome to the internet’s largest dinosaur database. Check out a random dinosaur, search for one below, or look at our interactive globe of ancient Earth! Whether you are a kid,…
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Mazon Monday #263: Dinner With Dr. Frederick Schram in August, 2011
This is Mazon Monday post #263. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Mary Fairchild did an excellent report about her dinner with Dr. Frederick Schram in August, 2011. There is much to enjoy in the report, including facts about early Mazon Creek research, the people that did research, and the collectors…
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PBS Eons Shorts: Where did the dinosaur-killing asteroid come from?
PBS Eons has a new video short on Youtube.
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CHICAGOLAND GEMS & MINERALS ASSOCIATION 48th ANNUAL SHOW · May 24th & 25th 2025
The 2025 show is on!Can’t wait to SEE you at the Kane County Fairgrounds!! Featuring nationally-known dealers of: jewelry, fossils, semi-precious and precious stones, lapidary arts and artists; there will also be geode splitting, silent auction, Kids Korner, “blacklight” fluorescent mineral display, exhibits, demonstrators, door prizes, and more! Show HoursSaturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.Sunday…
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Fossil Friday #259: Myriacantherpestes from Indiana
This is “Fossil Friday” post #134. 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 absolutely breathtaking Myriacantherpestes sp. from…
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Throwback Thursday #259: Looking Back At ESCONI For April 2025
This is Throwback Thursday #259. 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! email:esconi.info@gmail.com. 25 Years Ago – April 2000 50 Years Ago – April 1975 70 Years Ago – April…
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A 30,000-Year-Old Fossil Frozen in Volcanic Ash Holds an Unbelievable Secret
SciTechDaily brings news of a unique fossil discovery in Italy. A 30,000 year old fossil of a vulture shows that soft tissue can be preserved in volcanic rock deposits. The research was published in the journal Geology. The vulture fossil was originally discovered in 1889 near Rome by a local landowner, who recognized its exceptional…
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Fossilized Evidence Reveals Extinction of Dinosaurs Led to Brief Epoch When Asteroids Ruled the Earth
It’s a few years old, but The Onion had a story about the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs… MÉRIDA, MEXICO—Shedding new light on a rarely discussed prehistoric era, paleontologists from the Ohio State University announced Friday they had uncovered fossilized evidence that confirmed the extinction of dinosaurs led to a brief epoch when asteroids ruled…
