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ESCONI General Meeting June 9th, 2017: “Coal Swamps, Coral Reefs, and Continental Glaciers: A Look at Prairie-State Geology”, by Ray Wiggers
Read more: ESCONI General Meeting June 9th, 2017: “Coal Swamps, Coral Reefs, and Continental Glaciers: A Look at Prairie-State Geology”, by Ray WiggersThe program at the June 9, 2017 ESCONI General Meeting is titled “Coal Swamps, Coral Reefs,and Continental Glaciers: A Look at Prairie-State Geology”, by Ray Wiggers. Ray is the author of five books including “Geology Underfoot in Illinois”. His resume includes jobs at the Illinois EPA, Vermont Public Radio, Illinois State Museum and National Park Service. You can find out more information about Ray and the other programs he has scheduled at http://naturalhistoryman.org/ .
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Field Trip: State Street Quarry in Rockford, June 25th 2017
Read more: Field Trip: State Street Quarry in Rockford, June 25th 2017There will be a field trip for ESCONI members on June 25, 2017 to the State Street Quarry in Rockford. The trip starts at 9 AM and ends at 12 noon. Rules are as follows: 1. Everyone in your party must be an ESCONI member by June 18, 2017. 2. Everyone in your party must be at least 18 years of age. 3. Because this is a combined trip, there are only 20 open slots for ESCONI members. 4. The address of the quarry is 8966 East State Street, Rockford, IL. 5. We will have…
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41st Chicagoland Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show, May 27th and 28th 2017
Read more: 41st Chicagoland Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show, May 27th and 28th 2017The 41st Chicagoland Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show On Memorial Day weekend, nationally-known dealers, demonstrations, exhibits, lapidary arts, jewelry exhibits, faceting, cabochoncutting, polishing gemstones, silversmithing, jewelry making, wirewrapping, prospecting, geode splitting, a silent auction, Kids Korner – and jewelry repair – will all be available! Want more information? Download a brochure or a flyer to print. *Yes! Returning This Year: Wholesale Dealer Room! Click here to learn more. Saturday, May 27, 2017 10am – 6pmSunday, May 28, 2017 10am – 5pm Ticket Pricing (cash): One Day Show Pass $5.00 Adults$3.00 Seniors & Students (ages 13-18) Children (Under 13) Free …
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Field Trip Report: Braceville, IL, Spring 2017, Mazon Creek Concretions
Read more: Field Trip Report: Braceville, IL, Spring 2017, Mazon Creek ConcretionsThe Braceville Field Trip on May 13th and 14th, 2017 was very successful. There was a large turn out and the weather was nearly perfect. Because of the recent rains, many concretions were available by surface collecting. There were a few immediate discoveries (fan worm, cyclopteris, …) and many, many, unopened concretions ready to reveal their treasures at some future time. Happy freeze thawing this summer! ESCONI Member Andrew Young very generously dumped some opened concretions from his piles of extras. No doubt on his quest to find an Eurypterid! Here are various pictures from the day.
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ESCONI Events May 2017
Read more: ESCONI Events May 2017Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Fri, May 5th Field Trip – St. Paul, IN – see here for details. Sun, May 7th Field Trip – Rockford, IL Quarry – see here for details. Fri, May 12th ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) – Topic: “Tropical Permian Pangaea: Cradle of Biodiversity, Museum, or Both?” by Dr. Ken Angielczyk, Associate Curator at the Field Museum Sat, May 13th and Sun, May 14th Field Trip – Braceville, IL for Mazon Creek Fossils – see here for details.…
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Field Trip: May 13, 2017 Glacial Geology of Cook and Will Counties Field Trip
Read more: Field Trip: May 13, 2017 Glacial Geology of Cook and Will Counties Field TripA field trip from Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists. —————————————————————————————– DATE/TIME: 7 am to 5:30 pm. Saturday, May 13, 2017 WHERE: Starts at Plum Creek Play Meadow, 3298 E. 223rd St, Chicago Heights, IL, 60411. PARKING: There is limited parking available, please carpool to reduce 1-driver vehicles. BUS: everyone rides the school bus, 47 passenger capacity, Cook-Illinois Corp bus company. FIELD GUIDE: Electronic, available DRESS CODE: Hard hat, steel-toe boots, are recommended. LUNCH: ••on-your-own at Portillo’s and local restaurants. WATER: attendees are encouraged to bring your own re-usable water bottles. WAIVER: All participants must sign a…
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Dinosaur Giants at the Main Elgin Library
Read more: Dinosaur Giants at the Main Elgin Library“Dinosaur Giants” from the Sereno Fossil Lab will be on exhibit in the main Elgin library (Gail Borden Public Library) from May 15 to September 24, 2017. On exhibit will be Jobaria, Suchomimus and a pterosaur. This will include fossils, dinosaur bones you can touch and expedition images, as well as activities for kids. The Chicago Tribune has more information and pictures here.
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Today is Earth Day 2017
Read more: Today is Earth Day 2017Today, April 22nd, 2017, is Earth Day 2017. There are many events near Chicago, the March for Science, Science Expo, and more. Come on out and support Science. Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 50,000 partners in nearly 195 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. We work through…
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May 2017 General Meeting: “Tropical Permian Pangaea: Cradle of Biodiversity, Museum, or Both?”, by Dr. Ken Angielczyk of the Field Museum
Read more: May 2017 General Meeting: “Tropical Permian Pangaea: Cradle of Biodiversity, Museum, or Both?”, by Dr. Ken Angielczyk of the Field MuseumOur speaker at the May 12th general meeting will be Dr. Ken Angielczyk from the Field Museum. The title of his talk is: “Tropical Permian Pangaea: Cradle of Biodiversity, Museum, or Both?” A new early Permian continental tetrapod fauna from South America in tropical Western Gondwana sheds new light on patterns of tetrapod distribution. Northeastern Brazil hosted an extensive lacustrine system inhabited by a unique community of temnospondyl amphibians and reptiles that considerably expand the known temporal and geographic ranges of key subgroups. These findings demonstrate that tetrapod groups common in later Permian and Triassic temperate communities were already…
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ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan Kankakee Quarry May 20, 2017
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan Kankakee Quarry May 20, 2017There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the Vulcan Kankakee Quarry on Saturday May 20, 2017 from 8:30 AM to noon. The quarry is located at 1277 County Highway 28.The rules are shown below: 1. You must be an ESCONI member as of May 13th and at least 18 years old to attend this trip. 2. Maximum attendance is 30. 3. Follow any directions given by quarry management on parking. 4. We will have site-specific training, and everyone will sign a waiver. I will distribute the waiver forms by email a few days before the…
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ESCONI Field Trip: Braceville, IL – Saturday, May 13th and Sunday, May 14th, 2017
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip: Braceville, IL – Saturday, May 13th and Sunday, May 14th, 2017May 13th-14th, 2017 Braceville – Mazon Creek Fossils Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils on private property. Meet at 8:00 AM Saturday or Sunday at the BP Amoco in Coal City. No Age Limit. Hard Hats not required. Take I-55 to Exit 236 (Coal City). Take a right onto Highway 113 (Division Street). Go west to Broadway Street and Division in Coal City. We will be collecting Mazon Creek concretions from an old spoil pile on private property. Hard hats are not required. Boots are recommended. An Estwing rock hammer is the best tool. A small shovel or pick is helpful. Gardening…
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Mazon Creek: Carbon Hill School Museum
Read more: Mazon Creek: Carbon Hill School MuseumPossibly of interest to Mazon fossil collectors is the Carbon Hill School Museum, home of the Carbon Hill Historical Society. Located at 875 N. Second Street in Carbon Hill, it is open on Monday afternoons from noon to 4 p.m. This museum has a number of Mazon fossils donated to it by Tom Testa, who is a resident of Carbon Hill. Among the items displayed in the schoolhouse museum are artifacts from coal mines and the coal fields of Grundy and Will Counties, plus a diorama of Carbon Hill in its mining heyday, circa 1900. Anyone interested in this museum…
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Three Rivers Library Minooka Branch Hosting an Exhibition of Locally Found Pleistocene Mammal Fossils
Read more: Three Rivers Library Minooka Branch Hosting an Exhibition of Locally Found Pleistocene Mammal FossilsThe Three Rivers Library Minooka Branch is currently hosting an exhibition of Pleistocene mammal fossils found by a local farmer, John Bamford. in rural Minooka. The bones, found in 1901, were rescued from deterioration and oblivion by George Langford Sr. in 1912. The bones eventually were acquired by The Field Museum. The most famous of these fossils was dubbed the Minooka mastodon (actually a group of mastodon specimens). One of the tusks, still in its field jacket, is on display along with other mastodon fossils and animal fossils excavated from a Pleistocene bog in what is now Kendall County, IL. The…
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Paul Mayer Lecture at the Grundy County Historical Society, Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 at 7:00 PM
Read more: Paul Mayer Lecture at the Grundy County Historical Society, Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 at 7:00 PMThe Paul Mayer lecture to the Grundy County Historical Society (open to everyone, member or not) will focus on Mazon Creek fossils. The lecture will happen Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the Morris, IL, public library. The library is located at 604 Liberty Street in Morris. Google it for exact directions. Parking is on-street though the library has a small parking lot at the north end of the library building. Mr. Mayer, of The Field Museum, is well-known to ESCONI members. The Grundy County Historical Society’s Museum (GCHS) already has a small, but very…
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ESCONI Field Trip: St. Paul, IN, Friday, May 5th, 2017
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip: St. Paul, IN, Friday, May 5th, 2017ESCONI Field Trip to St. Paul quarry in St. Paul, IN. We will meet at the quarry office BEFORE 8:00 AM Eastern Time to sign waivers and receive instructions. As always, the trip is tentative based on quarry activity. Map This trip is open to 20 members. There will be a waiting list, if necessary. Trip rules: To sign up, contact John Catalani at Fossilnautiloid@aol.com. You may also sign up at the April General and Paleo meetings. NOTE: participants must be ESCONI members by April 16th, 2017.
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ESCONI Field Trip to Rockford-area quarry Sunday, May 7, 2017
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip to Rockford-area quarry Sunday, May 7, 2017There will be a field trip for ESCONI members on Sunday, May 7, 2017 to the Porter quarry near Rockford. The trip starts at 9 AM and ends at 12 noon. Rules are as follows: 1. You must be an ESCONI member as of May 1st. 2. Everyone in your party must be at least 18 years of age. 3. Because this is a combined trip, there are only 15 open slots for ESCONI members. 4. The address of the quarry is 6832 Swanson Rd, Roscoe, IL. 5. We will have site-specific training, and everyone…
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The FOSSIL Project Newsletter Spring 2017
Read more: The FOSSIL Project Newsletter Spring 2017Volume 4, Issue 1, Spring 2017|FOSSIL Project Newsletter Spring 2017
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Lyme Regis Presentation Announcement for Paleo Group meeting, April 15th, 2017
Read more: Lyme Regis Presentation Announcement for Paleo Group meeting, April 15th, 2017ESCONI Presentation – Saturday, April 15, 2017Paleontology Study Group Meeting – 7:30 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B In the Footsteps of Mary Anning: Collecting England’s Jurassic Coast.This past February, five ESCONI Women took to the beaches of Lyme Regis and Charmouth of famed Dorset County where Mary Anning made numerous paleontological discoveries. In her time, the ichthyosaur, plesiosaur, and pterosaur had no place in the popular conception of the history of the planet, nor were women recognized for their academic contributions. Today, Mary is celebrated as a pioneer in the field and the fragile…
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April 2017 General Meeting: “Venus’ Craters, Coronae, and Chasmata: What’s Going On?”
Read more: April 2017 General Meeting: “Venus’ Craters, Coronae, and Chasmata: What’s Going On?”At our April 14th meeting Dr. Paul Stoddard of NIU will present a program called: “Venus’ Craters, Coronae, and Chasmata: What’s Going On?” This will be a brief history of the exploration of Venus, the results of that exploration, and the questions raised by those results.
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ESCONI Events April 2017
Read more: ESCONI Events April 2017Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Sat, April 8th ESCONI Minerology Study Group Meeting, 7:30 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) – Topic: “Slide Program on Micromounting” We will review the slide program on micromounting, which was recently digitized, with a view to updating it Fri, April 14th ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 PM College of Dupage – Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) – Topic: “Venus’ Craters, Coronae, and Chasmata: What’s Going On?” by Dr. Paul Stoddard of NIU Sat, April 15th ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting, 7:30…
ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
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- 49th Annual CGMA Show – May 23rd and 24th, 2026
The 49th Annual CGMA Show will be held May 23rd and 24th, 2026 at the Expo Center of the Kane County Fairgrounds.
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Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings!
| 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 |