Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Calendar of Events

Happy Earth Day 2018!

Happy Earth Day 2018. Lot's of details on this website. Google has a message from Jane Goodall. CNN has a story about "Five good (and bad) things that have happened since the last Earth Day". Vox has a story about "7 things we've learned about Earth singe the last Earth Day". There's much, much more… get out an celebrate!
Read more: Happy Earth Day 2018!
Around the Web

Field Museum: Patagotitan Update

The Field Museum’s twitter account has an update on the new titanosaur coming to the museum in the next month or so. Recall that this Patagotitan is taking Sue’s place in the main gallery. It lived back in the middle Cretaceous of Patagonia, about 101 million years ago. One of the largest dinosaurs to ever live, it was 120 feet long and weighed about 70 tons! We all miss Sue, she will be getting a new special room upstairs, but this new guy will be very cool!
Read more: Field Museum: Patagotitan Update
Calendar of Events

Reminder: The General Meeting for April 20th, 2018 is at 7:30

Note: New time – 7:30 and different bldg and room – HSC, Room 1234ESCONI General Meeting, 7:30 PM College of Dupage – Health and Science Center (HSC) Building, Room 1234 (Map) – Topic: “Great Steps in the History of Life: The Origin of Limbed Vertebrates” by Dr. Ted Daeschler from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia(this talk is presented in partnership with ESCONI, The Field Museum, Northern Illinois University, the Paleontological Society, UIC, and the College of Dupage)
Read more: Reminder: The General Meeting for April 20th, 2018 is at 7:30
Calendar of Events, Field Trips, Mazon Creek

ESCONI Field Trip: Saturday, May 12th and Sunday, May 13th, 2018 to Braceville for Mazon Creek Fossils

The ESCONI field trips to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils are set for May 12 and 13, 2018 from 8 AM to 2 PM. You can attend either or both days. Meet at 8 AM at the entrance to the collecting site on S Berta Road, just east of the intersection with Division St (Braceville IL). A nearby landmark for driving directions is the Braceville Gardner Cemetery, 7295 East Braceville Road, Braceville. I can send a small map to anyone that needs it.
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip: Saturday, May 12th and Sunday, May 13th, 2018 to Braceville for Mazon Creek Fossils
Calendar of Events, Field Trips

ESCONI Field Trip: Friday, April 27th, 2018 to St. Paul Quarry, St. Paul, IN

There is a field trip to St. Paul Quarry (Silurian; Waldron Shale) on Friday April 27th. Minimum age is 18 years old and the trip is limited to 20 participants. We will meet at the quarry office just south of the town of St. Paul at 8:45 am Eastern Daylight. You must be a member of ESCONI on or before Saturday, April 21st. You need to have sturdy construction or hiking boots–NO canvas/athletic shoes, street shoes, or sandals. You need to have a hard hat and a safety vest would be a good idea. Please email John Catalani at…
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip: Friday, April 27th, 2018 to St. Paul Quarry, St. Paul, IN
Trilobite Tuesday

Trilobite of the Month – April 2018

Head on over to www.trilobites.info for the April 2018 “Trilobite of the Month”. It is Lanceaspis hammondi from the Lower Devonian of Morocco. Another interesting and unique trilobite from Morocco! Trilobites.info is a great resource for all things trilobite. There is even a book! The book is an adaptation of the website and it has everything you ever wanted to know about these cool extinct arthropods!
Read more: Trilobite of the Month – April 2018
Around the Web

NYT: The F.B.I. and the Mystery of the Mummy’s Head

The New York Times has a story about a 4,000 year mystery, which involves a mummy’s head. Was it Mr. or Mrs. Djehutynakht’s (juh-HOO-tuh-knocked) head? Interesting story, read it to find out! In 1915, a team of American archaeologists excavating the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Bersha blasted into a hidden tomb. Inside the cramped limestone chamber, they were greeted by a gruesome sight: a mummy’s severed head perched on a cedar coffin. The room, which the researchers labeled Tomb 10A, was the final resting place for a governor named Djehutynakht (pronounced “juh-HOO-tuh-knocked”) and his wife. At some point during…
Read more: NYT: The F.B.I. and the Mystery of the Mummy’s Head
Around the Web

SciAm: Meet “Dracula,” the Largest Pterosaur Found to Date

Scientific American has a story about the largest pterosaur ever found. It has been nicknamed “Dracula”. It lived during the Cretaceous period. At 3.5 meters tall, it was the size of a giraffe. It is on display at the Altmuhltal Dinosaur Museum in Denkendorf, Germany. The bones were discovered by Romanian scientists in 2009 among the hills and rock structure near a small town called Sebes in Romania’s Translyvania region. Unlike bats, which have three fingers embedded in their wings and one free digit for climbing, pterosaurs had one elongated finger that formed the front edge of each wing and…
Read more: SciAm: Meet “Dracula,” the Largest Pterosaur Found to Date
Calendar of Events

ESCONI Events April 2018

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Fri, Apr 20th ESCONI General Meeting, 7:30 PM College of Dupage – Health and Science Center (HSC) Building, Room 1234 (Map) – Topic: “Great Steps in the History of Life: The Origin of Limbed Vertebrates” by Dr. Ted Daeschler from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia Sat, Apr 21st Field Trip, Vulcan Manteno Quarry, 9:00 – 11:30 AM – see details in this post Sat, Apr 21st ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting, 7:30 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map)…
Read more: ESCONI Events April 2018
Calendar of Events

Today is International Dimetrodon Day!

Twitter has all kinds of dimetrodon fun. Who knew?!? How did you celebrate?
Read more: Today is International Dimetrodon Day!
Calendar of Events

Reminder: MAPS EXPO 2018 is tomorrow – Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2018

The Mid-America Paleontology Society (MAPS) EXPO for 2018 will be held from tomorrow, Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2018. MAPS EXPO is the largest fossil only show in the world. This is the 40th annual show. The topic this year is the Permian-Triassic Periods. The keynote speaker is Dr. Margaret Fraiser of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her talk is titled “Earth’s Largest Extinction and Life’s Recovery”. It should be a good one! The show will be held at Sharpless Auctions Facility, I-80 Exit 249, Iowa City, IA. Here is the 2018 MAPS Flyer with all the details. Show…
Read more: Reminder: MAPS EXPO 2018 is tomorrow – Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2018
Calendar of Events, Field Trips

ESCONI Field Trip: Saturday, April 21st, 2018 to Vulcan Manteno Quarry

There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the Vulcan Manteno Quarry on Saturday April 21, 2018 from 9 AM to 11:30 AM. The quarry is located at 6141 Highway 50, Manteno Illinois. The rules are shown below: Email Dave Carlson at fossil54@att.net to reserve a spot. You should be able to find this quarry by searching on “6141 IL 50 Manteno” in Google. That will provide a map and satellite view. If there is a need to cancel (like for weather) I will send out an email as far in advance as possible. Please check before departing for the…
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip: Saturday, April 21st, 2018 to Vulcan Manteno Quarry
Around the Web

Five New Fossil Forests Found in Antarctica

National Geographic has a story about multiple new fossil forests which were recently found in Antarctica. Back in the Permian, Antarctica was covered in prehistoric greenery. The team of scientists, which included Erik Gulbranson from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, that discovered these forests were there to look for clues to what caused the Permian Mass Extinction Event. Antarctica is one of the harshest environments on the planet. As the coldest, driest continent, it harbors a world of extremes. The powerful katabatic winds that rush from the polar plateau down the steep, vertical drops around the continent’s coast can stir up…
Read more: Five New Fossil Forests Found in Antarctica
Calendar of Events

Happy Friday!

Read more: Happy Friday!
Around the Web

NYT: Insects Flew Before Anything Else Did. So How Did They Get Their Wings?

The New York Times has an interesting story about the first flyers… insects. The article discusses recent research to discover how insects evolved the ability to fly. Strange to think that all those Mazon Creek flying insects were pretty new to the world of flying! Beetle wings are often hidden. Nestled behind armored shields on the beetle’s back, they unfurl in whirring sheets, whisking their clumsy owners from danger. Beetles don’t have more than two sets of wings — unless they’re in Yoshinori Tomoyasu’s lab. In research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Tomoyasu…
Read more: NYT: Insects Flew Before Anything Else Did. So How Did They Get Their Wings?
Around the Web

FOSSIL Project Newsletter for Spring 2018: John Catalani Amateur Spotlight

The FOSSIL Project’s newsletter for Spring 2018 has ESCONI’s own John Catalani in the “Amateur Spotlight” article! Great article and congratulations, John! Volume 5, Issue 1, Spring 2018| FOSSIL Project Newsletter Spring 2018
Read more: FOSSIL Project Newsletter for Spring 2018: John Catalani Amateur Spotlight
Calendar of Events

MAPS EXPO 2018 is Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2018

The Mid-America Paleontology Society (MAPS) EXPO for 2018 will be held from Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2018. MAPS EXPO is the largest fossil only show in the world. This is the 40th annual show. The topic this year is the Permian-Triassic Periods. The keynote speaker is Dr. Margaret Fraiser of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her talk is titled “Earth’s Largest Extinction and Life’s Recovery”. It should be a good one! The show will be held at Sharpless Auctions Facility, I-80 Exit 249, Iowa City, IA. Here is the 2018 MAPS Flyer with all the details. Show hours…
Read more: MAPS EXPO 2018 is Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2018
Around the Web

Palaeocast Episode 87: Archaeopteryx

Palaeocast episode 87 is about Archaeopteryx. Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, in what is now southern Germany. Including the first feather, discovered in 1860 or 1861, there are now twelve specimens. All have been found in the limestone deposits near Solnhofen, Germany. The iconic “Berlin” specimen shown above was found in 1874 or 1875. Archaeopteryx is perhaps one of the most iconic taxa in the fossil record. Exclusively found in the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Lagerstätte in Bavaria, Germany, it is a crucial taxon for understanding the relationship between dinosaurs and birds. Furthermore, it is…
Read more: Palaeocast Episode 87: Archaeopteryx
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

Day Two at the 2018 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show

More smiles and adventures at the 2018 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. It was a great time. I hope you didn’t miss it. See you again in 2019!
Read more: Day Two at the 2018 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

Day One at the 2018 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show

Lot of fun for everyone! The vendors had great items, with something of interest for all attendees. There were many auctions of great fossils, minerals, and equipment. Much more to follow tomorrow, so come on out!
Read more: Day One at the 2018 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show

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.”
No meeting this month	Mineralogy Study Group
No meeting this month	Junior Study Group

Most Recent Post