Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

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Live Auction Items For Sunday

Here are the live auction on Sunday, March 22nd at 11:30.
Read more: Live Auction Items For Sunday
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

Scenes from Day 1 of the 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show

We had a great day today at the 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. Hopefully, you were able to join us. We had more attendees at day 1 than we had for both days last year! There were great friends and great times… it’s always fun to catch up with everyone! There were great things to buy at the 20+ vendors at this years show. We had some great auctions, both live and silent… hopefully, you were able to win something beautiful. And, there was great weather… how can you beat 80 degrees in March?!?
Read more: Scenes from Day 1 of the 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
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ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Auction Items

Here are the Live Auction Items.
Read more: ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Auction Items
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

Today is the Day! ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show!

Here are some scenes from the show setup… just 2 hours to showtime!
Read more: Today is the Day! ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show!
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #40: Mazon Creek Asterophyllites and a Sphenopterid in a Riker Mount

Last preview… a Riker Mount with a Mazon Creek Asterophyllites and a Sphenopterid… both are beautiful fossils. Today is the day… come out at 10 AM and see all the auction items for yourself!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #40: Mazon Creek Asterophyllites and a Sphenopterid in a Riker Mount
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #39: Fluorite and Sphalerite

One last chunk of beautiful fluorite… nice purple crystals on a bed of sphalerite. Sounds and looks tasty! If you are up this late (or is that early), you deserve a tasty preview… just a few hours until the show starts!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #39: Fluorite and Sphalerite
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #38: Reticulopteris munsterii var. dawsonii from Mazon Creek

How about another Mazon Creek seed fern? This one is Neuropteris jacksonii (see Mazon Monday #250). If you are reading this… today is the day!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #38: Reticulopteris munsterii var. dawsonii from Mazon Creek
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #37: Alethopteris serlii from St. Clair, Pennsylvania

This preview is of a chunk of shale from St. Clair, PA. This piece contains numerous examples of Alethopteris serlii, a seed fern also found in Mazon Creek localities. We are getting very close now… inside 12 hours away!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #37: Alethopteris serlii from St. Clair, Pennsylvania
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #36: Purple Fluorite from Cave-in-Rock, IL

Here’s yet another beautiful chunk of fluorite from Illinois. This one is purple and was collected from Cave-in-Rock, IL. many years ago. Come and see it tomorrow… less than a day away!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #36: Purple Fluorite from Cave-in-Rock, IL
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #35: Priscacara, sp. from the Green River Formation in Wyoming

What fossil show is complete without a Green River fish? Here is a nice Priscacara, sp. These fish date to the Eocene, about 50 million years ago. We have other Green River fish, come on out and see them!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #35: Priscacara, sp. from the Green River Formation in Wyoming
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #34: Giant Moroccan Trilobite

How about a giant Moroccan trilobite for something different? Come on out… we will have other trilobites at the show.
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #34: Giant Moroccan Trilobite
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #33: Laveineopteris rarinervis from Mazon Creek

This is a beautiful specimen of Laveineopteris rarinervis (see Mazon Monday #81) a seed fern commonly found in the Mazon Creek fossil deposit. Come on out and check it out tomorrow!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #33: Laveineopteris rarinervis from Mazon Creek
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #32: Calcite from Ourey, Colorado

Time for another beautiful mineral specimen. This is calcite from Ourey, Colorado. Come on out tomorrow… there is something for everyone!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #32: Calcite from Ourey, Colorado
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #30: Mazon Creek Achistrum, sp. Colony

Another Mazon Creek beauty… this is a nice Achistrum, sp. colony, which is a sea cucumber. You can see at least three mouths in the fossil. See Mazon Monday #29. Come on out and see for yourself, tomorrow, yes, tomorrow! Less than a day away!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #30: Mazon Creek Achistrum, sp. Colony
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #31: Crinoid Plate from the Bangor Formation in Northern Alabama

Another crinoid plate from the Bangor Formation in Northern Alabama. This plate has multiple crinoids and other fossils like Archimedes bryozoans. Tomorrow is the day!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #31: Crinoid Plate from the Bangor Formation in Northern Alabama
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #29: Crystalline Copper from Southwest Africa

This chunk of crystalline copper is from southwest Africa. Tomorrow is the day!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #29: Crystalline Copper from Southwest Africa
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #28: Coelocanth Scale from Pit 11

Here’s beautiful example of a Coelocanth scale Mazon Creek’s Pit 11 locality. Look closely, the preservation is very detailed. Did we mention the tomorrow is the show… see you there!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #28: Coelocanth Scale from Pit 11
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #27: Rare Wisconsin Jellyfish from Marathon County, Wisconsin

Jellyfish, which have no hard parts, are very rare in the fossil record. This species Hiemalora stellaris was found in the Cambrian rocks of the Blackberry Hill Deposit of Marathon County, Wisconsin. Come on out tomorrow and it can be yours!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #27: Rare Wisconsin Jellyfish from Marathon County, Wisconsin
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #26: Azurite from the Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

What a beautiful blue! The specimen of Azurite hails from the Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China. Less than a day until the door open!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #26: Azurite from the Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
Calendar of Events, ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Mazon Creek

2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #25: Calomostachys Cone

We have a bunch of Mazon Creek fossils this year… here’s another nice cone – Calomostachys, sp. One day away from the show… are you coming?!?
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #25: Calomostachys Cone

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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