Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday #80: ESCONI Flea Market October 2000

This is Throwback Thursday #80. 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! In the past, the ESCONI Flea Market was a somewhat regular event. There would be no vendors like the ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show held each spring, but we would hold a live auction, a silent auction, a junior booth, demonstrations, book sales, and sometimes bulk sales of anything related to earth science. Back in Throwback Thursday #62, we had scenes from…
Read more: Throwback Thursday #80: ESCONI Flea Market October 2000
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #6, Box of Mazon Creek Plant Fossils

This is the preview post #6 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction. The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. All details can be found here. On National Fossil Day, we present to you, one of a few boxes of Mazon Creek plant fossils. There are 6 or 7 different species in each box, usually a Neuropteris, a Pecopterid, an Annularia, maybe even a piece of wood. Box #5 appears to have a nice Neuropteris!
Read more: 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #6, Box of Mazon Creek Plant Fossils
Calendar of Events

Happy National Fossil Day 2021!!!

Happy National Fossil Day! The mascot this year is an arctic tyrannosaur from Denali National Park and Preserve. Check the official website! The 2021 National Fossil Day Logo is inspired by the diverse record of Late Cretaceous dinosaur footprints from Denali National Park and Preserve in central Alaska. The logo features an Alaskan tyrannosaur walking under a northern polar night sky, through a mudflat, and encountering a trackway left by a hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur). In the distance, an ancient boreal forest outlines the Cretaceous landscape. The Late Cretaceous (100 to 66 million years ago) represents the end of the Mesozoic…
Read more: Happy National Fossil Day 2021!!!
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #5, Microlite with Muscavite and Albite from Brazil

This is the preview post #5 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction. The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. All details can be found here. Another gorgeous mineral from Brazil. This is Microlite with Muscavite and Albite from the Ipe mine, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Read more: 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #5, Microlite with Muscavite and Albite from Brazil
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #4, Hematite from Brazil

This is the preview post #4 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction. The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. All details can be found here. Here is a gorgeous specimen of Hematite from Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Read more: 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #4, Hematite from Brazil
Mazon Creek, Mazon Monday

Mazon Monday #81: Laveineopteris rarinervis

One of the common seed ferns that we haven’t mentioned yet is Laveineopteris rarinervis. For Fossil Friday #77, we showed a beautiful specimen from the Mazon River. L. rarinervis is common and found across all of the terrestrial Mazon Creek localities. It’s also known from the marine Pit 11 and Braceville spoil pile localities. With the right coloring, it can be quite striking.
Read more: Mazon Monday #81: Laveineopteris rarinervis
Calendar of Events

Badger Rock Club’s 50th Annual Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show October 30th and 31st, 2021

Who: Badger Lapidary and Geological Society, a non profit organization since 1966 What: 50th annual Jewelry, Mineral, Fossil and Gem Show. Where: Rock County Fairgrounds, Craig Center, 1301 Craig Ave, Janesville, WI When: October 30th and 31st, 2021, 9-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday Why: To educate the public on natural sciences in a fun and festive way. Contact: Laurie Trocke at 608-935-0597 or glowyrocks@gmail.com www.badgerrockclub.org It is that time of the year again…time for our large annual show! As always, we would love to have a listing in your calendar of events, public service announcements, or a feature…
Read more: Badger Rock Club’s 50th Annual Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show October 30th and 31st, 2021
Around the Web

PBS Eons: When Mammals Only Went Out At Night

There’s a new episode of PBS Eons over on Youtube. This one is about mammal evolution and our adaptations for being active at night. For decades, scientists believed dinosaurs were diurnal and tiny mammals were nocturnal. But as researchers have uncovered more mammalian fossils and studied the biology of different dinosaur species, they’ve found some surprising results.
Read more: PBS Eons: When Mammals Only Went Out At Night
Fossil Friday, Mazon Creek

Fossil Friday #77: Laveiniopteris rarinervis from Mazon Creek

This is the “Fossil Friday” post #77. 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! This week, we have a Laveiniopteris rarinervis from Mazon Creek… literally Mazon Creek or at least the Mazon River. This beauty was found this past summer at the I&M Canal Corridor field trip in late August by Rich Holm. This one is in a softer concretion. It opened in about 3 or…
Read more: Fossil Friday #77: Laveiniopteris rarinervis from Mazon Creek
Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday #79: Looking Back at ESCONI October 2021

This is Throwback Thursday #79. 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! 25 Years Ago – October 1996 50 Years Ago – October 1971
Read more: Throwback Thursday #79: Looking Back at ESCONI October 2021
Calendar of Events

ESCONI October 2021 General Meeting – October 8th, 2021 at 8:00 PM via Zoom – “Hell Creek Amber: Paleontology’s New Frontier in the Western Interior”

The speaker at our October 8, 2021 meeting via Zoom will be Stew Cook, Paleo Prep Lab Manager at the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka Montana. Carter County is where Burpee Museum has excavated since 2001, and the source of “Jane” and “Homer”. The topic of his talk will be amber from the Hell Creek formation, it’s source, structure and inclusions. Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/85425623533?pwd=M3Bjc2JKSEp3S3ZWdWRyZnpwZGxOUT09 Meeting ID: 854 2562 3533Passcode: 130183 One tap mobile+13126266799,,85425623533#,,,,*130183# US (Chicago)+19292056099,,85425623533#,,,,*130183# US (New York) Dial by your location+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)+1 669…
Read more: ESCONI October 2021 General Meeting – October 8th, 2021 at 8:00 PM via Zoom – “Hell Creek Amber: Paleontology’s New Frontier in the Western Interior”
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #3, Mazon Creek Animals from Pit 11

This is the preview post #3 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction. The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. All details can be found here. Another live auction item for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale today, this one is an assorted box of Pit 11 animals, including this very nice shrimp! The shrimp is a Kalliidecthes richardsoni. Read more about it here in Mazon Monday #48.
Read more: 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #3, Mazon Creek Animals from Pit 11
Mazon Creek, Mazon Monday

Mazon Monday #80: Book “Coal Age Fossils From Mazon Creek”

This is Mazon Monday post #80. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. The book “Coal Age Fossils From Mazon Creek” was published in 1979 by the Illinois State Museum. The ISM has a long history publishing science books. This one is volume III of the scientific papers series. It is a reprint of four papers on fossils of charismatic Mazon Creek animals. All of the papers are important works on insects, horseshoe crabs, spiders, and eurypterids. The authors are respected leaders in the field. Although we may know more now than when these papers were written…
Read more: Mazon Monday #80: Book “Coal Age Fossils From Mazon Creek”
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #2, Hemimorphite from Mexico

This is the preview post #2 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction. The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. All details can be found here. Next up for the show previews is a piece of hemimorphite from Mexico. Photos never seem to capture the real beauty of these minerals. This one is stunning in person!
Read more: 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #2, Hemimorphite from Mexico
Around the Web

PBS Eons: How a Mass Extinction Event Created the Amazon

There’s a new episode of PBS Eons over on Youtube. This one is about the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous and how it helped to create the Amazon rain forest. The Amazon rainforest of South America is a paradise for flowering plants. But long ago, the landscape that we now think of as the Amazon looked very different. And would you believe that the entire revolution of the Amazon began with just one day?
Read more: PBS Eons: How a Mass Extinction Event Created the Amazon
Fossil Friday

Fossil Friday #76: Pennsylvanian Shark Tooth

This is the “Fossil Friday” post #76. 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! For this week, we have a rare shark tooth from ESCONI member Connor Puritz. This tooth belonged to a shark called Peripristis semicircularis, which lived during the late Pennsylvanian in what is now LaSalle County, Illinois. This tooth is in exceptional condition! It won the Vertebrate Fossil of the Month for April…
Read more: Fossil Friday #76: Pennsylvanian Shark Tooth
Calendar of Events

ESCONI Events October 2021

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Saturday, Oct 2nd ESCONI Field Trip to a Rockford Quarry 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Details are here. Friday, Oct 8th ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 PM Zoom – Topic: “Hell Creek Amber: Paleontology’s New Frontier in the Western Interior” by Stew Cook, Paleo Prep Lab Manager at the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka, Montana. Zoom link Saturday, Oct 9th ESCONI Junior Meeting 7:00 PM Zoom – Topic: “Identifying Minerals/Crystallographic Systems” Specifics of this meeting are available from Scott Galloway, 630-670-2591, gallowayscottf@gmail.com. Contact Scott to get the Zoom link to…
Read more: ESCONI Events October 2021
Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday #78: Revisiting an Indiana Field Trip May 4-5, 1957

This is Throwback Thursday #78. 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! Back in Flashback Friday #34, we posted some picture from a fossil field trip to Indiana on May 4th and 5th, 1957. Well, here are some details of the trip. The announcement appeared in the May 1957 edition of the newsletter. Three localities over two days is pretty good. From the report, which appeared in the June 1957 newsletter, it was a successful…
Read more: Throwback Thursday #78: Revisiting an Indiana Field Trip May 4-5, 1957
Around the Web

Volcanic Eruptions Helped Dinosaurs Dominate Planet Earth

The New York Times Trilobites column has an article about volcanic eruptions during the Triassic Period. Recently, a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes striking evidence that volcanoes helped dinosaurs spread across the globe during the Triassic Period about 234 million years ago. It has long been debated what led to the dinosaurs’ dominance during the Mesozoic Age. A team of researchers found evidence of intense volcanic activity in a lake deposit in northern China. The researchers analyzed sediment and plant fossil evidence from a lake in Northern China and were able to match…
Read more: Volcanic Eruptions Helped Dinosaurs Dominate Planet Earth
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #1, Mazon Creek Petrified Wood From Pit 1

This is the preview post #1 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction. The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. All details can be found here. This is an absolutely stunning piece of petrified wood in the form of a branch. It’s a Mazon Creek fossil found in Pit 1, which was occupied by the Greer School back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. That school taught its students how to operate heavy earth moving equipment,. There was plenty of turnover and an abundance of fossils. Currently, Cinder Ridge Golf Course…
Read more: 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 – Preview #1, Mazon Creek Petrified Wood From Pit 1

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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