Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Calendar of Events

Chicago Museums Closed Due To Covid 19

The Chicago Tribune has a story about the temporary closing of Chicago Museums due to Covid 19. The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute, Planetarium, and Lincoln Park Zoo have closed for 2 weeks, Watch their websites for updated status. The Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium and Field Museum have joined Shedd Aquarium in announcing Friday a coronavirus related temporary closure, less than a day after Lincoln Park Zoo was the first of the region’s major museums and nature parks to say it is closing. MSI, which welcomed almost 1.4 million visitors last year,…
Read more: Chicago Museums Closed Due To Covid 19
Calendar of Events

MAPS 2020 – “The Ordovician Period” April 17th – 19th, 2020… Canceled!

Due to COVID-19, the MAPS Board has made the obvious, yet painful, decision to cancel the 2020 EXPO. As of now, plans are to postpone the topic and Digest until the 2021 Show on April 16-18, 2021. Our concern for the health of everyone associated with EXPO, from dealers to attendees, is, and always will be, our first priority.
Read more: MAPS 2020 – “The Ordovician Period” April 17th – 19th, 2020… Canceled!
Field Trips

ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan DeKalb Quarry – Canceled!

The field trip to Vulcan DeKalb on April 4, 2020 has been canceled. Stay safe and health!
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan DeKalb Quarry – Canceled!
ESCONI Books For Sale, Mazon Creek

Mazon Creek Fossil Books!

ESCONI has been very involved in the identification of Mazon Creek fossils for many years. From the legendary George Langford books, to the keys to identify Mazon Creek fossils, to the books of Jack Wittry, we have provided useful resources. The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna reference book was published in 2012 and is a complete and updated taxonomic guide that includes descriptions and color photos of species that collectors are likely to find in the field or see in most large collections. Now, Jack has finished the Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek. It is the definitive…
Read more: Mazon Creek Fossil Books!
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

ESCONI 2020 Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show… Canceled!

It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing that ESCONI is canceling the annual show slated for March 21 and 22, 2020 at the Dupage fairgrounds due to concerns about the corona virus. There is a possibility, we will reschedule later in the year. Please stay tuned for more details!
Read more: ESCONI 2020 Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show… Canceled!
Calendar of Events

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #8, Fluorite

This is the preview post #8 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. Here is a nice large specimen of fluorite, possibly from Colorado.
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #8, Fluorite
Around the Web

PBS Eons: When the Sahara Was Green

There’s a new PBS Eons episode. This one is about the “Green Sahara” only a few thousand years ago. The climate of the Sahara was completely different thousands of years ago. And we’re not talking about just a few years of extra rain. We’re talking about a climate that was so wet for so long that animals and humans alike made themselves at home in the middle of the Sahara.
Read more: PBS Eons: When the Sahara Was Green
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #7, Mazon Creek Plant Assortment

This is the preview post #7 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. Here’s one of multiple Mazon Creek plant fossil set. Each set is slightly different. Sets include from 5 to 7 specimens of the following species. There are 6 in this set, which is lot #11.
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #7, Mazon Creek Plant Assortment
Around the Web

Mary Anning: A hunt without a kill

Cosmos Magazine has a post about Mary Anning. Mary died on March 9th, 1847 at the age of 47. She made important contributions to paleontology back in the early 1800s. She was a very interesting person who found some of the first Ichthyosaurs, Plesiosaurs, and pterosaurs. There are a few biographies of her life (The Fossil Hunter) and even a few recent movies! Anning was no ordinary palaeontologist. She made her first significant find when just 11 or 12 (details differ) years old when she discovered a complete skeleton of an Ichthyosaurus from the Jurassic period, which created a sensation and made…
Read more: Mary Anning: A hunt without a kill
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #7, Atacamite from Chile

This is the preview post #7 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. Here is a beautiful specimen of Atacamite from Chile. Atacamite is a fairly rare mineral of copper. This one had a deep green color.
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #7, Atacamite from Chile
Calendar of Events

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #6, Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri

This is the preview post #6 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. This one is a beautiful specimen of Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri. There is quite a but of detail. We have a bunch of Mazon plants this year. Don’t miss it.
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #6, Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri
Flashback Friday

ESCONI Flashback Friday #43: Field Trip To Rosiclare, IL For Fluorite

As part of the celebration of ESCONI’s 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #43. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Here are some pictures of a field trip to a fluorite mine in Rosiclare, IL in Hardin County. There is the American Fluorite Museum in Rosiclare. They have the Fluorspar Festival every year in October. Wow, who knew?!?
Read more: ESCONI Flashback Friday #43: Field Trip To Rosiclare, IL For Fluorite
Around the Web

Palaeocast Episode 108: Plesiosaurs

Palaeocast has a new episode about Plesiosaurs. The discussion touches on the history of plesiosaurs and some of the opalized fossils from Coober Pedy in South Australia. Plesiosaurs are some of the most easily recognisable animals in the fossil record. Simply uttering the words ‘Loch Ness Monster’ can conjure a reasonably accurate image of what they look like. Thanks to palaeoart, it’s also fairly easy to envision how they lived: swimming through the open Jurassic seas, picking fish, ammonites and belemnites out of the water. What we don’t imagine are plesiosaurs at the South Pole, nor would we ever picture…
Read more: Palaeocast Episode 108: Plesiosaurs
Field Trips

ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan DeKalb Quarry – Saturday, April 4th, 2020

There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the Vulcan DeKalb (aka Larson) Quarry on Saturday April 4, 2020 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The quarry is located at 15622 Barber Green Road. This trip is combined with a visit from Dr. Roy Plotnick’s class from UIC, and Dr. Reed Scherer’s class from NIU. The rules are shown below: Everyone in your party MUST be an ESCONI member as of 11:59 PM April 1st and at least 18 years old to attend this trip. 1. Because this is a combined trip, there are only 10 open slots for ESCONI…
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip to Vulcan DeKalb Quarry – Saturday, April 4th, 2020
Calendar of Events

ESCONI Events March 2020

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Sat, Mar 21st ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM – CANCELED Sun, Mar 22nd ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM – CANCELED
Read more: ESCONI Events March 2020
Calendar of Events

Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society – 71st Annual Silent Auction Saturday March 14th, 2020 – Rocks, Minerals, Fossils and Lapidary

We Will Rock You! Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society Hosts 71st Annual Silent Auction of Rocks, Minerals, Fossils and Lapidary Treasures Saturday, March 14, 2020 6 to 9 p.m. St. Peter’s United Church of Christ 8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie, IL (Across the street from the public library on Oakton) The first table closes at 6:30 p.m. There’s something for everyone who has rocks on their mind: minerals, fossils, crystals, geodes, gemstones, handmade jewelry, rough rock, books, magazines, and lapidary treasures galore. The variety is amazing. Families are welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult.…
Read more: Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society – 71st Annual Silent Auction Saturday March 14th, 2020 – Rocks, Minerals, Fossils and Lapidary
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #5, Calcite on Marcasite on Iridescent Calcite

This is the preview post #5 for the 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. The show is on March 21st and March 22nd, 2020. Show details can be found here. This mineral specimen is doubly terminated calcite on marcasite on iridescent calcite from Eddyville, IA. It’s gorgeous with a bunch of colors. We have other mineral specimens… come out and see them at the show!
Read more: 2020 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 21st and March 22nd – Preview #5, Calcite on Marcasite on Iridescent Calcite
Around the Web

PBS Eons: How a Hot Planet Created the World’s Biggest Snake

The new PBS Eons episode is about titanoboa and the world it lived in. Check it out! About 59 million years ago, the largest animal lurking in the ancient forests of Colombia by far was Titanoboa – the largest snake ever known. It’s only been in the past few years that we’ve put together the many pieces of this puzzling creature, but it turns out that the greatest snake that the world ever saw was made possible by a warming planet.
Read more: PBS Eons: How a Hot Planet Created the World’s Biggest Snake
Calendar of Events

Reminder: Burpee Museum: PaleoFest 2020, Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th, 2020

PaleoFest 2020 will be held on Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th, 2020 at the Burpee Museum in Rockford, IL. Always an interesting time. Here are all the details! Friday, March 6th: Members Only Reception 5:30pm: Members Only Reception 7:00pm: Keynote Presentation By: Dr. Larisa DeSantis, Vanderbilt University Topic: Saber-Toothed Cats Saturday, March 7th: PaleoFest Day 1 8:30am: Doors Open 9:00am: Speaker Symposium Begins 4:00pm: Speaker Symposium Ends 4:30- 6:30PM:Cocktail Mixer: LIVE MUSIC 6:30PM: Dinner Seating Evening Feature: 7:30 Keynote Lecture Keynote Speaker TBA Sun March 8th: PaleoFest Day 2 8:30am: Doors Open 9:00am: Speaker Symposium Begins 4:00pm: Speaker…
Read more: Reminder: Burpee Museum: PaleoFest 2020, Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th, 2020
ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Flashback Friday

ESCONI Flashback Friday #42: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show 2000

As part of the celebration of ESCONI’s 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #42. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Here are some notes and pictures from the ESCONI show in 2000. It was held on March 4th and 5th, 2000. ESCONI has been having a March show for a long time… come on out to our 2020 show on March 21st and 22nd, 2020. It will be a great time! Notes on the March 2000 Show The GEM-MINERAL-FOSSIL Show was opened Saturday morning, March 4th by co-chairman, Dave Bergmann,…
Read more: ESCONI Flashback Friday #42: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show 2000

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

Most Recent Post