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Throwback Thursday #73: The Rockhound’s Wish
Read more: Throwback Thursday #73: The Rockhound’s WishThis is Throwback Thursday #73. 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! You may recall we did a poem called “The Rock Pile” from Charles Schweitzer back in Throwback Thursday #59. Today, we have another poem by Mr. Schweitzer. It’s called “The Rockhound’s Wish”. Again, we have the same message of rest and relaxation through rock collecting. The Rockhound’s Wish A full canteen to take along.I want a sack real stout and big,A shovel too,…
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Exciting Paleontological Discoveries You Probably Missed in July 2021
Read more: Exciting Paleontological Discoveries You Probably Missed in July 2021Tales of Prehistory, a blog by Panos Grigorakakis on Medium, has a new interesting post. He’s a science journalist that has been doing a series of “Exciting Paleontological Discoveries You Probably Missed” each month for a little while now. They are a good summary of all things paleontological during a given month. Actually, all of his articles are both entertaining and informative. Here are the highlights. Check out the link for all the details. Several fascinating paleontological discoveries are taking place each month. Scientists working in the field publish numerous studies, describe new prehistoric species, and propose exciting theories about the…
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Mazon Monday #74: Langford Book 3
Read more: Mazon Monday #74: Langford Book 3This is Mazon Monday post #74. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. We recently ran across an interesting article in the July/August 1996 edition of the ESCONI newsletter that details the story of the donation of the original notebook manuscripts of the two original Langford books and the unpublished book three. George Langford Jr. donated the notebooks to ESCONI in 1995. Later, ESCONI donated these historical documents to the Illinois State Museum after some discussions at the 1995 Mazon Creek Open House at Northeastern Illinois University. Here is the article from the newsletter. THE LANGFORD NOTEBOOKS…
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ESCONI Events September 2021
Read more: ESCONI Events September 2021Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Friday, Sep 10th ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 PM Zoom – Topic: “Exploring evolutionary patterns and processes in trilobites” by Dr. Mark Webster from the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. Zoom link Saturday, Sep 11th ESCONI Junior Meeting 7:00 PM Zoom – Topic: “Rotary Rock Tumblers and Specific Gravity” Specifics of this meeting are available from Scott Galloway, 630-670-2591, gallowayscottf@gmail.com. Contact Scott to get the Zoom link to attend the virtual meeting and find out how to join the Juniors Club. Saturday, Sep 11th ESCONI Field…
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Reconstruction of Tyrannosaur Braincases Shows More Variation Than Previously Thought
Read more: Reconstruction of Tyrannosaur Braincases Shows More Variation Than Previously ThoughtSciTechDaily has a story about tyrannosaur skulls. Researchers in Canada and Argentina scanned the skulls to reconstruct the braincase of two well-preserved Daspletosaurs. Their research, which found more variation than expected, was published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. Among the fierce carnivores that lived during the late Cretaceous was a predator named Daspletosaurus. The massive tyrannosaur, about nine meters long, lived in the coastal forest of what is now Alberta around 75 million years ago — preceding the more famous T. rex by about 10 million years. For the first time, scientists in Canada and Argentina have used CT scans to digitally reconstruct…
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Trip Full – ESCONI Field Trip to Braceville, IL for Mazon Creek Fossils – Saturday, September 11th and Sunday, September 12th, 2021
Read more: Trip Full – ESCONI Field Trip to Braceville, IL for Mazon Creek Fossils – Saturday, September 11th and Sunday, September 12th, 2021The Braceville Field Trip is currently full, however we are taking names for the waiting list. The ESCONI field trips to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils are set for Sept 11 and 12, 2021 from 9 AM to 3 PM. You can attend one or the other, but not both days. There is an overall attendance limit of 50 people each day. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS TRIPS! You must register to go on this trip. See rule 7 below for instructions. This is the only way to register. If you are sick, have any symptoms of Covid-19 or…
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Thick-shelled turtle egg with embryo still inside from the Cretaceous period found in China
Read more: Thick-shelled turtle egg with embryo still inside from the Cretaceous period found in ChinaPhys.org has a story about the discovery of a turtle embryo in a fossilized egg. The fossil egg was found in China’s Henan Province and dates to the Cretaceous Period. The egg was described in a paper in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China and Canada has identified a turtle egg fossil from the Cretaceous period that contains an embryo. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes where the egg was found and what they learned about it during their examination. Finding the eggs of…
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Fossil Friday #70: Mariopteris
Read more: Fossil Friday #70: MariopterisThis is the “Fossil Friday” post #70. 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 very nice specimen of a seed fern called Mariopteris sphenopteroides. Mariopteris is relatively rare in the Mazon Creek biota. I have always loved the ornate leaves. This photo comes from ESCONI member Andrew Young. You may remember that Andrew has played a vital role as one of…
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Throwback Thursday #72: Bill Allaway Poem
Read more: Throwback Thursday #72: Bill Allaway PoemThis is Throwback Thursday #72. 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 July/August 1952 edition of the ESCONI newsletter, there was a poem from the Bill Allaway, who was Chairman of ESCONI at the time. Actually, at that time, he was still Chairman from the founding of ESCONI in 1949. He writes about the relaxation and restorative properties of rock collecting…. “I’ll leave my troubles behind”. Some of it’s the time in nature…
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ESCONI Fall Sale Saturday, October 16th, 2021
Read more: ESCONI Fall Sale Saturday, October 16th, 2021E S C O N I Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois Mineral and Fossil SaleSaturday, October 16, 202110 AM to 5 PMDuPage County FairgroundsWheaton, ILActivities include:Minerals and fossils for sale, silent and live auctions,geode splitting, kid’s activities, book sales,demonstrators and displays.For more information seewww.esconi.org Location – Admission and Parking are free!
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Oldest Fossilized Land Plant Spores Have Scientists Rethinking How Plants Evolved
Read more: Oldest Fossilized Land Plant Spores Have Scientists Rethinking How Plants EvolvedScience Alert has a story about the oldest land plants. In rock samples from the Canning Basin in Western Australia, scientists have found clues to early land plant evolution. These samples come from deposits that date to the lower Ordovician about 480 million years ago when land plants were small and moss-like. The research can be found in a paper published in the journal Science. Estimates of the initial timing of the colonization of land by plants are based on large fossilized plant remains, calculations of how long it has taken different species to evolve (called “molecular clock” data), and…
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Mazon Monday #73: Architarbus rotundatus
Read more: Mazon Monday #73: Architarbus rotundatusThis is Mazon Monday post #73. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. For this week, we are going to cover the same species of spider we featured in our recent Fossil Friday #69, Architarbus rotundatus. Paleozoic spider-like arachnids are an interesting group. Most lack the ability to produce silk and so are not classified as true spiders. Mazon Creek features three orders of spider-like animals. They are the Phalangiotarbida, the Trigonotarbida, and the Areneae. A. rotundaats belongs to order Phalangiotarbida. Architarbus rotundatus was described in 1868 by Samuel Hubbard Scudder. In his lifetime (1837 – 1911),…
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17 Pictures that will make you want to become a Geologist
Read more: 17 Pictures that will make you want to become a GeologistZME Science has a post that will definitely make you want to consider geology as a career. It’s filled with stunning photos from mountains to fossils to minerals. It makes me want to go back to school! Check a few examples from the article below, but don’t miss the full article.
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PBS Eons: Where Are All the Medium-Sized Dinosaurs?
Read more: PBS Eons: Where Are All the Medium-Sized Dinosaurs?PBS Eons has a new episode. This one is about T. rex and the other carnivores that lived (or didn’t live) along side them. The remains of medium-sized predatory dinosaurs are pretty rare in places where giant predators like T. rex existed. Which is weird, because that’s just not how ecosystems work today.
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Fossil Friday #69: Mazon Creek Spider!
Read more: Fossil Friday #69: Mazon Creek Spider!This is the “Fossil Friday” post #69. 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 many fossil collectors, Tully Monsters represent the holy grail of Mazon Creek fossils. But, there are other more rare and charismatic Mazon animals, like spiders and scorpions. Either of those would form the cornerstone of any collection. There are individuals out there, that don’t stop at collecting just one of…
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Throwback Thursday #71: “Sentimental”
Read more: Throwback Thursday #71: “Sentimental”This is Throwback Thursday #71. 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! Today, we have the poem entitled “The Title of the Picture Sentimental” from the November 1968 edition of the ESCONI newsletter. This poem was written by Walter Dabasinkas, who was an old time Mazon Creek collector. Between he and his wife, they have no less than five Mazon Creek animals named for them – two are sharks and three are insects… it goes…
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A Terrifying ‘Dragon’ Was The Largest Known Flying Reptile of Ancient Australia
Read more: A Terrifying ‘Dragon’ Was The Largest Known Flying Reptile of Ancient AustraliaScience Alert has a story about a terrifying new pterosaur recently described from Australia. It had a seven-meter wingspan, bristling teeth in its jaws, and it flew through the air! That’s how a new pterosaur from Australia has been described. Named Thapunngaka shawi, it lived about 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The discovery is described in a paper published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. It’s the largest species of pterosaur ever found on the continent, an extremely important find that contributes to our understanding of pterosaur diversity in Australia. And it would have been absolutely metal.…
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The world’s oldest fossilized forest is in Greene County. It needs saving
Read more: The world’s oldest fossilized forest is in Greene County. It needs savingThe Times Union in Albany, New York has a story about the world’s oldest fossilized forest. The forest was discovered in a quarry in Cairo, NY, near where other ancient trees were discovered in Gilboa, NY. These lycopsid “tree” fossils date to the Devonian Period, about 400 million years ago. They were described in a paper in the journal Current Biology in 2019. Now, there are competing ideas as to how to preserve the site for study, education, and tourism. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have the full board’s support — we had enough to move a resolution and things like that,…
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Mazon Monday #72: Index of Posts
Read more: Mazon Monday #72: Index of PostsThis is Mazon Monday post #72. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. We’ve been doing Mazon Monday posts for almost 1.5 years now. And. it seems like an index of posts would be helpful. Hard to believe all the topics we have covered! Let is know your favorite and any suggestions for new posts at email:esconi.info@gmail.com
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Paleontological Society Membership
Read more: Paleontological Society MembershipThe Paleontological Society has several categories for membership, including “Amateur/Avocational”, which is half the price of a regular membership. Benefits include online access to the Journal of Paleontology, Paleobiology, Elements of Paleontology, The Paleontological Society Papers, and Treatise Online. See https://www.paleosoc.org/ for more information. The membership page is here.
ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
Most Recent Post
- ESCONI April 2026 Paleontology Meeting via Zoom and in-person – “Digging the Marl of the Lance Formation”
The April 2026 Paleontology Study Group Meeting will feature Keith Robitschek and his presentation “Digging the Marl of the Lance Formation”. You can attend in-person at the College of DuPage, TEC, Room 1038B (Map). The meeting will also be available via Zoom.
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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 |