Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

Auction Preview: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show will be held on March 24th and 25th, 2018

There will be some high quality fossils and minerals to auction at the ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show on March 24th and 25th. Here is the first preview of what to expect. More pictures to follow over the next 2 weeks. I probably don’t need to mention it, but that is a very big Annularia! No sure if the mint is included…
Read more: Auction Preview: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show will be held on March 24th and 25th, 2018
Calendar of Events

Reminder: Warehouse Work Day – Saturday, March 10th, 2018, 9:00 – 2:00ish

If you have some time, come join our work day at the warehouse on Saturday, March 10th, 2018 from 9:00-2:00ish. The warehouse address is 900 Knell in Montgomery, IL. Please meet/enter in the back of the warehouse ONLY. You will see railroad tracks along the back of the warehouse. Drive all the way to the end in the back. For more information, contact Jim Fairchild at 1-630-497-9700 or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com
Read more: Reminder: Warehouse Work Day – Saturday, March 10th, 2018, 9:00 – 2:00ish
Calendar of Events

Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s 69th Annual Silent Auction – Saturday, March 10th, 2018

The Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society will be having its 69th Annual Silent Auction on Saturday, March 10th, 2018 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The event will be held at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ Gymnasium, 8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie, IL (across the street from the Skokie Public Library on Oakton). Families are welcome! Rockhounds of all ages can bid on a fascinating array of rocks, crystals, minerals, fossils, handmade jewelry, crafts, lapidary treasures including slabs and cabochons, books, magazines, and more. There are always great finds and bargains to be had. Plus, we have a special table of…
Read more: Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s 69th Annual Silent Auction – Saturday, March 10th, 2018
Around the Web

PBS Eons: The Other Explosion You Should Know About

Check out the PBS Eons channel on YouTube. There’s a new episode once a week. The most recent one is “The Other Explosion You Should Know About”. It’s about the Avalon Explosion during the Ediacaran Period. Some of the wonderful paleoart is by Nobu Tamura at http://spinops.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
Read more: PBS Eons: The Other Explosion You Should Know About
Trilobite Tuesday

Trilobite of the Month – March 2018

The trilobites.info “Trilobite of the Month” is Goldius. The website trilobites.info is a great place to learn everything you ever wanted to know about trilobites. It’s constantly updated with new information. You can also order the website in book form. There’s tons of photos and references to help you identify your latest find. So, visit the website and get your trilobite on!
Read more: Trilobite of the Month – March 2018
Around the Web, Member Posts

Mazon Creek Fossil Blog – American Fossil Hunt

Recently, I ran across an interesting blog called “American Fossil Hunt”. It’s written by Andrew Bach, an ESCONI member. He details his adventures hunting for Mazon Creek concretions in Pit 11, the Braceville spoil pile, and other nearby locales. Additionally, there are posts about trips to Florida and California. His posts include many pictures of fossils and what to expect if you visit the same places. He has a book, which has additional material on Mazon Creek. It’s $25 for both the ebook and a print copy. It has helpful hints, maps, and descriptions of a few well known localities. …
Read more: Mazon Creek Fossil Blog – American Fossil Hunt
Calendar of Events

Reminder: March General Meeting is on Friday, March 9th, 2018 – Dr. Dan Gebo “Human Evolution – An Update”

The speaker will be Dr. Dan Gebo from the Department of Anthropology at NIU. The title of his talk is "Human Evolution – An Update". Come on out, we missed you in February!
Read more: Reminder: March General Meeting is on Friday, March 9th, 2018 – Dr. Dan Gebo “Human Evolution – An Update”
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

ESCONI Events March 2018

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Fri, Mar 9th ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) – Topic: “Human Evolution – an update.” by Dr. Dan Gebo from the Department of Anthropology at NIU Sat, Mar 10th Warehouse Work Day, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – (Map) – Preparation for the 2018 Show in March. Please meet in the back of the building! Sat, Mar 24th ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – DuPage County Fairgrounds (Map) 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Sun, Mar 25th ESCONI…
Read more: ESCONI Events March 2018
Calendar of Events

Reminder: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show will be held on March 24th and 25th, 2018

Save the date! We are one month away from the ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show! Saturday, March 24th – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Sunday, March 25th – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admittance and parking! Exploreyour interests Shop for jewelry, gems, fossils, minerals from world-class vendors List to Follow Soon, Stay tuned! Find unique and interesting books at the used book sale Learn from members of club demonstrating their hobbies and collections Bid and buy gems, minerals and fossils at the Silent Auction and Live Auctions(photos of some items will be posted on website a week before…
Read more: Reminder: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show will be held on March 24th and 25th, 2018
Around the Web

Rainforest collapse 307 million years ago impacted the evolution of early land vertebrates

Phys.org has a story about a mass extinction in plants that occurred during the Pennsylvannian Period. Researchers from the University of Birmingham published a paper in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The mass extinction seems to have been caused by the onset of a drier climate 307 million years ago. This led to some extinctions of some tetrapods, just as they evolved to live on land. Curiously, it probably allowed others to diversify an expand across the globe. The Carboniferous and Permian periods (358 – 272 million years ago) were critical intervals in the evolution of life on…
Read more: Rainforest collapse 307 million years ago impacted the evolution of early land vertebrates
Around the Web

A Jawbone Is the Oldest Modern-Human Fossil Outside of Africa

The Atlantic has a story about a recent discovery that threatens to rewrite the early history of modern humans. The find from an Israeli cave dates to between 177,000 and 194,000 years ago. These dates, along with a 315,000 year old fossil from Ethiopia, call into question the previous “Out of Africa” estimates of 50-60,000 years. After more than a decade of work, the team has now confirmed that the Misliya jaw belonged to a modern human, and that it is even more ancient than the Skhul remains. At somewhere between 177,000 and 194,000 years old, it now holds the…
Read more: A Jawbone Is the Oldest Modern-Human Fossil Outside of Africa
Calendar of Events

The February General Meeting has been rescheduled for March 9th, 2018

The February General Meeting has been rescheduled for March 9th, 2018. The speaker will be Dr. Dan Gebo from the Department of Anthropology at NIU. The title of his talk is “Human Evolution – An Update”. Come on out, we missed you in February!
Read more: The February General Meeting has been rescheduled for March 9th, 2018
Calendar of Events

Happy Darwin Day 2018

Happy Darwin Day 2018. Here is a link with events all over the world. Enjoy!
Read more: Happy Darwin Day 2018
Calendar of Events

Warehouse Work Day Moved to Saturday, February 17th, 2018, 9:00 – 2:00ish

The Warehouse Work Day scheduled for February 10th has been moved to February 17th. If you have some time, come join our work day at the warehouse on Saturday, February 17th, 2018 from 9:00-2:00ish. The warehouse address is 900 Knell in Montgomery, IL. Please meet/enter in the back of the warehouse ONLY. You will see railroad tracks along the back of the warehouse. Drive all the way to the end in the back. For more information, contact Jim Fairchild at 1-630-497-9700 or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com
Read more: Warehouse Work Day Moved to Saturday, February 17th, 2018, 9:00 – 2:00ish
Calendar of Events

The February General Meeting has been POSTPONED!

The February General Meeting for Friday, February 9th, 2018 has been postponed. COD will be closed due to the predicted snow storm. We plan to reschedule with the speaker. Expect to hear more shortly!
Read more: The February General Meeting has been POSTPONED!
Around the Web

Spider-like Creature With a Scorpion’s Tail Found Trapped in Amber

The NY Times has an article about an exciting new spider-like fossil discovered in amber. Chimerarchne yingi lived during the Cretaceous Period more than 100 million years ago in what is now Southeast Asia. It’s spider-like, because it’s not quite a spider. It have 8 legs, fangs, and a whip like tail. It was only 2.5 millimeters long, with a tail almost twice as long as its body. The original paper appeared in Nature Ecology and Evolution. C. yingi is not a spider, but rather a relative that lived alongside ancient spiders for millions of years. Its discovery provides insight…
Read more: Spider-like Creature With a Scorpion’s Tail Found Trapped in Amber
Around the Web

The dismantling of Sue

The Chicago Tribune has a story about the plans to dismantle at the Field Museum. The Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur, known as Sue, has been on display in the Field Museum’s Stanley Field Hall since 2000. She was discovered in 1990 in South Dakota by Sue Hendrickson. Beginning this week, she will be disassembled to make room for a replica of the largest dinosaur ever found – Patagotitan mayorum. She will eventually be placed back on display in the Evolving Planet exhibit in early 2019. Goodbye for now Sue… we will miss you! The Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton we know as Sue…
Read more: The dismantling of Sue
Uncategorized

Brain Scoop: The ‘Sistine Chapel of Taxidermy’ – Conserving Akeley’s Elephants

The Brain Scoop has an episode about the 100+ year old elephants at the Field Museum in Stanley Field Hall. They were created by Carl Akeley and his wife Delia way back in the early 1900s. A previous episodes from 2013 are here and here.
Read more: Brain Scoop: The ‘Sistine Chapel of Taxidermy’ – Conserving Akeley’s Elephants
Calendar of Events

ESCONI Events February 2018

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Rescheduled for Mar 9th ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) – Topic: “Human Evolution – an update.” by Dr. Dan Gebo from the Department of Anthropology at NIU Sat, Feb 17th Warehouse Work Day, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – (Map) – Preparation for the 2018 Show in March. Please meet in the back of the building! Sat, Feb 17th ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting, 7:30 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) –…
Read more: ESCONI Events February 2018
Around the Web

34 million year old carnivore named after the Egyptian god of the Underworld

PLOS Paleo’s Blog has an article about a newly described canine-like fossil from Egypt. Masrasector nananubis, or little “Anubis”, was a dog-like creature that lived during the late Eocene about 34 million years ago. The researchers that authored the open access paper are Matthew Borths from Ohio University and Erik Seiffert from the University of Southern California. The specimens were collected over more than a decade from the Fayum Depression in Egypt. An interview with Matthew Borths is available here. The animal is known as a hyaenodont, which you might be able to guess from the name is a relative…
Read more: 34 million year old carnivore named after the Egyptian god of the Underworld

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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