Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #7, Atacamite from Chile

This is the preview post #7 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. Here is a beautiful specimen of Atacamite from Chile. Atacamite is a fairly rare mineral of copper. This one had a deep green color.
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #7, Atacamite from Chile
Calendar of Events

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #6, Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri

This is the preview post #6 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. This one is a beautiful specimen of Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri. There is quite a but of detail. We have a bunch of Mazon plants this year. Don’t miss it.
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #6, Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri
Flashback Friday

ESCONI Flashback Friday #43: Field Trip To Rosiclare, IL For Fluorite

As part of the celebration of ESCONI’s 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #43. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Here are some pictures of a field trip to a fluorite mine in Rosiclare, IL in Hardin County. There is the American Fluorite Museum in Rosiclare. They have the Fluorspar Festival every year in October. Wow, who knew?!?
Read more: ESCONI Flashback Friday #43: Field Trip To Rosiclare, IL For Fluorite
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Palaeocast Episode 108: Plesiosaurs

Palaeocast has a new episode about Plesiosaurs. The discussion touches on the history of plesiosaurs and some of the opalized fossils from Coober Pedy in South Australia. Plesiosaurs are some of the most easily recognisable animals in the fossil record. Simply uttering the words ‘Loch Ness Monster’ can conjure a reasonably accurate image of what they look like. Thanks to palaeoart, it’s also fairly easy to envision how they lived: swimming through the open Jurassic seas, picking fish, ammonites and belemnites out of the water. What we don’t imagine are plesiosaurs at the South Pole, nor would we ever picture…
Read more: Palaeocast Episode 108: Plesiosaurs
Field Trips

ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan DeKalb Quarry – Saturday, April 4th, 2020

There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the Vulcan DeKalb (aka Larson) Quarry on Saturday April 4, 2020 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The quarry is located at 15622 Barber Green Road. This trip is combined with a visit from Dr. Roy Plotnick’s class from UIC, and Dr. Reed Scherer’s class from NIU. The rules are shown below: Everyone in your party MUST be an ESCONI member as of 11:59 PM April 1st and at least 18 years old to attend this trip. 1. Because this is a combined trip, there are only 10 open slots for ESCONI…
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan DeKalb Quarry – Saturday, April 4th, 2020
Calendar of Events

ESCONI Events March 2020

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Sat, Mar 21st ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM – CANCELED Sun, Mar 22nd ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM – CANCELED
Read more: ESCONI Events March 2020
Calendar of Events

Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society – 71st Annual Silent Auction Saturday March 14th, 2020 – Rocks, Minerals, Fossils and Lapidary

We Will Rock You! Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society Hosts 71st Annual Silent Auction of Rocks, Minerals, Fossils and Lapidary Treasures Saturday, March 14, 2020 6 to 9 p.m. St. Peter’s United Church of Christ 8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie, IL (Across the street from the public library on Oakton) The first table closes at 6:30 p.m. There’s something for everyone who has rocks on their mind: minerals, fossils, crystals, geodes, gemstones, handmade jewelry, rough rock, books, magazines, and lapidary treasures galore. The variety is amazing. Families are welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult.…
Read more: Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society – 71st Annual Silent Auction Saturday March 14th, 2020 – Rocks, Minerals, Fossils and Lapidary
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #5, Calcite on Marcasite on Iridescent Calcite

This is the preview post #5 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. This mineral specimen is doubly terminated calcite on marcasite on iridescent calcite from Eddyville, IA. It’s gorgeous with a bunch of colors. We have other mineral specimens… come out and see them at the show!
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #5, Calcite on Marcasite on Iridescent Calcite
Around the Web

PBS Eons: How a Hot Planet Created the World’s Biggest Snake

The new PBS Eons episode is about titanoboa and the world it lived in. Check it out! About 59 million years ago, the largest animal lurking in the ancient forests of Colombia by far was Titanoboa – the largest snake ever known. It’s only been in the past few years that we’ve put together the many pieces of this puzzling creature, but it turns out that the greatest snake that the world ever saw was made possible by a warming planet.
Read more: PBS Eons: How a Hot Planet Created the World’s Biggest Snake
Calendar of Events

Reminder: Burpee Museum: PaleoFest 2020, Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th, 2020

PaleoFest 2020 will be held on Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th, 2020 at the Burpee Museum in Rockford, IL. Always an interesting time. Here are all the details! Friday, March 6th: Members Only Reception 5:30pm: Members Only Reception 7:00pm: Keynote Presentation By: Dr. Larisa DeSantis, Vanderbilt University Topic: Saber-Toothed Cats Saturday, March 7th: PaleoFest Day 1 8:30am: Doors Open 9:00am: Speaker Symposium Begins 4:00pm: Speaker Symposium Ends 4:30- 6:30PM:Cocktail Mixer: LIVE MUSIC 6:30PM: Dinner Seating Evening Feature: 7:30 Keynote Lecture Keynote Speaker TBA Sun March 8th: PaleoFest Day 2 8:30am: Doors Open 9:00am: Speaker Symposium Begins 4:00pm: Speaker…
Read more: Reminder: Burpee Museum: PaleoFest 2020, Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th, 2020
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Flashback Friday

ESCONI Flashback Friday #42: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show 2000

As part of the celebration of ESCONI’s 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #42. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Here are some notes and pictures from the ESCONI show in 2000. It was held on March 4th and 5th, 2000. ESCONI has been having a March show for a long time… come on out to our 2020 show on March 21st and 22nd, 2020. It will be a great time! Notes on the March 2000 Show The GEM-MINERAL-FOSSIL Show was opened Saturday morning, March 4th by co-chairman, Dave Bergmann,…
Read more: ESCONI Flashback Friday #42: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show 2000
Around the Web

World’s Oldest Scorpions May Have Moved From Sea to Land 437 Million Years Ago

Smithsonian Magazine has an article about some very old scorpions. Scientific Reports has a paper describing some scorpions that lived about 437 million years ago, during the Silurian Period. These animals, called Parioscorpio venator, lived in what is now modern day Wisconsin. Their fossils were discovered back in the 1980s. When they were alive, Wisconsin was an extensive reef system. Trilobites would have lived along side Parioscopio. Half a billion years ago, the continents were quiet. Earth’s animals—represented largely by shelled mollusks, armored arthropods, and a smattering of wriggly, jawless fish—breathed with gills, not lungs, and hunted their prey at…
Read more: World’s Oldest Scorpions May Have Moved From Sea to Land 437 Million Years Ago
In Memoriam and Honorarium

Remembering Dale Gallian 1954 – 2020

Sadly, we lost ESCONI member Dale Gallian on February 23rd, 2020. For a time, Dale was a fixture at ESCONI meetings and field trips, especially those at Braceville and the Larson Quarry in Dekalb. At meetings, he enthusiastically shared both collecting stories and was always eager to show his specimens. He was a great guy and will be missed by all! You can find his obituary here. We are sad to announce that on February 23, 2020, at the age of 65, Dale Joseph Gallian (Lombard, Illinois) passed away. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this…
Read more: Remembering Dale Gallian 1954 – 2020
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Three Ferocious Dinosaurs Featured on New U.K. Coins

Smithsonian Magazine has a story about some new coins in the U.K. There are three new coins that have Megalosaurus, Iguanodon, and Hylaeosaurus, which were the first dinosaurs discovered in modern-day Britain. Over the years, the United Kingdom’s 50 pence coin has paid tribute to an array of intriguing figures who have made an important impact on the history of the Great Britain, including the suffragettes, Roger Barrister and Peter Rabbit. But the latest design to come out of the Royal Mint takes inspiration from the nation’s very, very distant history; as Isaac Schultz reports for Atlas Obscura, the institution has announced a series of…
Read more: Three Ferocious Dinosaurs Featured on New U.K. Coins
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #4, Laveiniopteris rarinervis

This is the preview post #4 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. This is an awesome specimen of Laveinopteris rarinervis from the world famous Mazon Creek fossil biota. It will be part of the live auction at the show on March 21st and 22nd, 2020. Come on out… there will be many breathtaking specimens available!
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #4, Laveiniopteris rarinervis
Around the Web

The Brain Scoop: Carl Cotton: Chicago’s Original Black Taxidermist

There’s a new episode of “The Brain Scoop” over on Youtube. This one is about a Field Museum taxidermist named Carl Cotton. Carl had a huge impact on taxidermy during his life. There is a new special exhibit which celebrates his contributions. Carl Cotton (1918 – 1971) was the Field Museum’s first African American taxidermist – perhaps Chicago’s first professional one – and his work can still be seen on display today. But for many years, we knew little about the extent of his contributions to the museum and the field of taxidermy as a whole. Today, thanks to…
Read more: The Brain Scoop: Carl Cotton: Chicago’s Original Black Taxidermist
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PBS Eons: When the Rainforests Collapsed

PBS Eons has a new episode. This one is about the plants during the Carboniferous Period. That’s the same time period as Mazon Creek! This episode discusses one of just two mass extinctions of plants in the fossil record. Spoiler… Climate Change played a big role. The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse set the stage for a takeover that would be a crucial turning point in the history of terrestrial animal life. If it weren’t for that time when the rainforests collapsed – in an extinction event that you probably haven’t heard of – our ancestors might never have made it…
Read more: PBS Eons: When the Rainforests Collapsed
Flashback Friday

ESCONI Flashback Friday #41: George Langford Night 1958

As part of the celebration of ESCONI’s 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #41. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! The release of the first Langford book, “The Wilmington Coal Flora from a Pennsylvannian Deposit in Will County, Illinois”, occurred in June 1958. On June 13, 1958, ESCONI celebrated “George Langford Night”. He was 82 years old and held the title of “Curator of Fossil Plants” at the Field Museum. The second book was published in June 1963. The celebration continue the following weekend for the Midwest Federation Conference, which…
Read more: ESCONI Flashback Friday #41: George Langford Night 1958
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #3, Museum Displays #dinosaurs #fossils @FieldMuseum @BurpeeMuseum @LizzadroMuseum

This is the preview post #3 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. The skull of the Burpee Museum’s Baby Triceratops Homer will be at the show. Additionally, there will be awesome displays by the Field Museum and the Lizzadro Museum. Homer at the Burpee Museum Field Museum display from 2019
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #3, Museum Displays #dinosaurs #fossils @FieldMuseum @BurpeeMuseum @LizzadroMuseum
Around the Web

Phys.org: Meet T-Rex’s older cousin: The Reaper of Death

Phys.org has a story about a new tyrannosaur. This one is called Thanatotheristes degrootorum, Greek for “Reaper of Death”. It lived some 80 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Periond, in what is now Canada. Details were published recently in the journal Cretaceous Research. “We chose a name that embodies what this tyrannosaur was as the only known large apex predator of its time in Canada, the reaper of death,” Darla Zelenitsky, assistant professor of Dinosaur Palaeobiology at Canada’s University of Calgary. “The nickname has come to be Thanatos,” she told AFP. Whereas T-Rex—the most famous of all dinosaur species, immortalised…
Read more: Phys.org: Meet T-Rex’s older cousin: The Reaper of Death

Friday, April 10th	General Meeting – 8:00 PM via Zoom. Jessica Hull will present “Life in the Devonian Period, The Age of Fishes.”
Saturday, April 11th	Junior Study Group Meeting – 2:00 PM, in person at the College of DuPage Technical Education Center (TEC) Building – Room 1038A (Map). Katherine Howard will present on Sand and Sediment Collecting. Specifics of this meeting are available from Scott Galloway, 630-670-2591, gallowayscottf@gmail.com.
Saturday, April 18th	Paleontology Study Group – 7:30 PM via Zoom and in person at the College of DuPage, TEC, Room 1038B (Map). Keith Robitschek will present “Digging the Marl of the Lance Formation.”
Friday, April 24th	MAPS Expo XLVII – Springfield, IL.
Saturday, April 25th	MAPS Expo XLVII – Springfield, IL.
Sunday, April 26th	MAPS Expo XLVII – Springfield, IL.
No meeting this month	Mineralogy Study Group

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