Tag: collecting
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Throwback Thursday #314: Collecting from 1954
We are in the midst of the spring field trip season and this article by Roy Beghtol from the May 1954 edition of the ESCONI newsletter seemed appropriate.
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Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks 2026!
You will probably be getting outside more soon looking for fossils, minerals, etc. in the woods, fields, and quarries. Or at least, that’s what we hope… after all, this is the ESCONI website. And, remember fossil collecting season opens up on March 1st at Mazonia South. However, thanks to our mild winter and that early…
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Throwback Thursday #283: The Strip Mines
This poem first appeared in the September 1964 edition of the ESCONI newsletter. Written by Gene Falada, it was inspired by a field trip to the spoil piles near South Wilmington, Illinois, on August 8, 1964. His words capture an experience that still feels familiar today. ESCONI field trips continue to bring people together—you meet…
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Weird Science: Eastern North Carolina dig led to great finds, including fossils from the age of dinosaurs
We received this link the other day. It’s news for Wilmington, but Wilmington North Carolina not Illinois. Still, it’s an interesting story about dinosaurs and fossil collecting. A dig in eastern North Carolina last week had a scientist up to his armpits in mud, and led to some great finds for a museum collection, including…
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Throwback Thursday #248: The Afternoon Search #history
This is Throwback Thursday #248. 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! Here is a poem written by Muriel Menzel of the Blackhawk Gem and Mineral Club. The title is…
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Throwback Thursday #244: Leaverite (Leaveitite)
This is Throwback Thursday #244. 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! Beginners may hear a more experienced collector refer to a rock specimen as a “Leaverite”. Here’s the definition…
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Mazon Monday #235: Desden Lakes Field Trip June 1976
This is Mazon Monday post #235. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Dresden Lakes was productive Mazon Creek fossil locality just east of Morris, IL. It was known for large concretions with detailed fossils in dark colors, grays and blacks. Unfortunately, the dark colors can be hard to photograph. Large concretions…
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Throwback Thursday #220: Collecting Poem from November 1950
This is Throwback Thursday #220. 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! Peggy Allaway wrote an untitled poem for the November 1950 edition of the ESCONI newsletter. Peggy was the…
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Throwback Thursday #187: Chowder Flats Field Trip March 1994
This is Throwback Thursday #187. 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! John Good gave us some great ESCONI photos back at the 2023 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. …
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Throwback Thursday #165: Summer Collecting Poem
This is Throwback Thursday #165. 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! Howard and Olive Knight were early members of ESCONI. They were both very active members for many years. …
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NPR: The do’s and don’ts of amateur fossil hunting
WAMU 88.5 American Univerity Radio has an interesting program about fossil hunting. It features a discussion with paleontologist Steven Brusatte and science writer Riley Black. The audio can be found here. Fossil hunting has been popular for ages. Maybe you’ve stumbled upon ancient remains yourself, whether on a walk on the beach or on a…
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Fossil-finding ants amass huge haul of ancient creatures
National Geographic has a story about tiny fossil collector. The tiny collectors are harvester ants. They uncovered more than 6000 micro fossils as they built their mounds, The micro fossils included small teeth and jaw fragments – all at most a few millimeter wide. These micro fossils are believed to be parts of ten new…
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Throwback Thursday #114: Collect Fossils….. What a waste of time!
This is Throwback Thursday #114. 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! For this week, we have an article written by Bill Bode called “Collect Fossils….. What a waste of…
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Throwback Thursday #91: Winter Collecting 1963
This is Throwback Thursday #91. 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! The snow this week had me looking through the newsletters looking for a winter field trips. Many of…
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New Book: “Collector’s Guide to Fort Payne Crinoids and Blastoids”
ESCONI member William Morgan, a retired professor from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has a new book called “Collector’s Guide to Fort Payne Crinoids and Blastoids”. The Fort Payne Formation of Kentucky dates to the early Mississippian Period. The focus of this book is on the Fort Payne Formation and…
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Dinosaur Cowboys Are Hunting for the Next $32 Million T. Rex
Bloomberg has a story about the Dinosaur Cowboy. Known for discovering the “Dueling Dinosaurs”, Clayton Phipps is a rancher and an amateur paleontologist. The story does a great job describing the controversy around the commercial exploitation of fossils, mainly dinosaurs. On a sunny, 99-degree day in northern Montana, Clayton Phipps grabs a backpack and heads…
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Mazon Monday #66: Video for June 2021 Paleontology Meeting – “Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils”
This is Mazon Monday post #66. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. The topic of our Paleontology Study Group meeting was “Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils”. It was presented by ESCONI President Keith Robitschek. The presentation included State Park Links, Maps, Surface Collecting Concretions, Concretion Storage, Opening, Cleaning, and Care.
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Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks 2021!
With temperatures in the 80’s, it’s time for our annual Tick post. It’s getting warm and late spring/early summer is the peak of tick season. With the nice weather, you will probably be spending more time outside looking for fossils, minerals, etc. in the woods, fields, and quarries. Or at least, that’s what we hope……
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Mazon Monday #61: Video for May Paleontology Meeting – “A Historical Perspective on Collecting Mazon Creek and Pit 11” by Peter Kruty
This is Mazon Monday post #61. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. We are very excited to post the video of Peter Kruty’s presentation for the May 2021 Paleontology Meeting. The title of his talk was “A historical Perspective on Collecting Mazon Creek and Pit 11”. It was a very interesting…
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Throwback Thursday #45: Collecting Rocks
This is Throwback Thursday #45. 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! This week, we have have a poem from the old ESCONI newsletters. “Collecting Rocks” is from the January…
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Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks 2020!
This post is a little late as we are fast approaching the peak of tick season. But, as the weather gets warmer (and hopefully, dryer), you will probably be spending more time outside looking for fossils, minerals, etc. in the woods, fields, and quarries. One creature you may encounter is a tick. Ticks are arthropods,…
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NatGeo: Inside the homes (and minds) of fossil collectors
National Geographic has a story about fossil collectors – professional, commercial, and amateur. There’s a good discussion of the pros and cons to commercial fossil collecting. The conclusion is great… I hope it comes to pass! But the gold rush never quite materialized. There’s a glut of Tyrannosaurus specimens on the market now, and other prize specimens…
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Smithsonian: How to Discover Dinosaurs
Over on Smithsonian.com, Hans-Dieter Sues has an article about finding dinosaurs. The article answers many of the what, where, and how kind. People always ask, “How do you know where to dig?” Well, first we have to find a dinosaur skeleton before we can dig it up. To collect dinosaurs requires careful planning. Unless they…
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Opal Hunting at the Spencer, Idaho Mini-Mine by Andy Jansen
Rock hunting opportunities were dancing through my mind when I was requested to go to Idaho Falls, ID for a business meeting the third week of July. Should I go for fossils, minerals, or both? I was scouring websites for options that would be within a couple hours drive from Idaho Falls in the likely…
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Roy Plotnick: A Fossil Park for Illinois
Roy Plotnick has a great post on Medium about the Fossil Park proposal for the old Lone Star Quarry in Oglesby, IL. Anyone that visited the site in the past remembers the abundant fossils to be had. Brachiopods were just spilling out of the ground. The quarry was recently acquired by the Illinois Department of…
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ScienceFriday: A Day With Fossil Hunters
Science Friday has a post about fossil hunting in Utah. Here is the related audio for the story. A team from Science Friday ventured out into the dusty canyons of Utah to see what it’s like to hunt for fossils. Out in the canyons of southeastern Utah, the arid August heat pricks at your skin.…
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Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) of 2009 Issues In a Nutshell
It’s down to the wire. Comments on the DOI (BLM) proposed PRPA rules will only be accepted until Monday, February 6th, 2017. Here are the issues in a nutshell: 1 “Casual collecting” is too restrictive 2 “Common” is not defined, and it should be noted that only scientifically valuable specimens are what PRPA intend should be in repositories,…
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The End of Petrified Wood Collecting on Public Lands?
SaveFossilCollecting has a post about the new proposed fossil collecting regulations on public lands. The article does a good job explaining the issue. Additionally, there are other informative posts on the website. Petrified wood represents a stone of unique interest in the hearts and minds of the many collectors found in virtually every part of…
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A Few Earth Science Vendors
A few vendor web sites came to our attention in the past month: – Need abrasives for lapidary or rock polishing? You may wish to check out Panadyne Abrasives – Looking for information about buying gems? You may wish to check out gemstoneguru.com – Going to Tucson? You may wish to check out SpiriferMinerals.com –…
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A Very Good Collecting Day “We Hit The Jackpot”
Via ABC News, (hat tip Carrie Nelson) … The Barrieaults went to Hill’s mine on the group trip with the Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association. They had only been in the mine for five minutes before Kevin flipped over a rock to find a 50.5-carat emerald… More
