ESCONI Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Many ESCONI Events This Weekend

General Meeting. Friday, 9/10, 8:00 p.m.  Speaker: Dale Gnidovec, curator of Ohio State University's Orton Geological Museum, who will speak on: The Magnificent Morrison - a historic look at this Late Jurassic rock unit that has produced so many familiar dinosaurs - Allosaurus, Apatosaurus ("Brontosaurus"), Diplodocus, Stegosaurus - from such famous sites as Dinosaur National Monument, Como Bluff and Bone Cabin. The talk will end with a look at a Morrison site in southern Montana that our own Rob Sula has helped excavate for the past 10 summers.  College of Dupage, Building K, Rm. 131.

Work Day at Storage Facility. Sat, 9/11, 9:00 a.m. Helping to sort, organize and decide which items would be good for the ESCONI Flea Market. Contact John Good at 630-483-2363 for directions to the facility.

Mineralogy & Micromount Study Group Meeting. Sat. 9/11, 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131. "Show and Tell" and geode cracking.

Secret Sounds of Stonehedge

Via New Scientist:

Trevor Cox reveals how the acoustic footprint of the world's most famous prehistoric monument was measured...  (includes audio)

Cretaceous Asteroid Shower Theory

Via PhysOrg:

Dinosaurs, along with over half of other species, became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period about 65.5 million years ago, and many scientists believe this was due to a single impact with an asteroid that hit at Chicxulub in the Gulf of Mexico. Now a study published in the Geology journal proposes the impact that produced the Boltysh crater in the Ukraine may also have been involved in the extinctions, and there may have been a shower of asteroids or comets...

Also in the news, RIP for the theory on the asteroid killing off the mammoth's 13,000 years ago... some say yes, most seem to say no.

While on the subject, did anyone see the news of the mile-wide asteroid due in 2019.

ESCONI Newsletter Correction

The ESCONI September 2010 newsletter has a mistake on page 4. The date of the field trip was listed as September 22-23 - but it should read September 25-26.

The Braceville field trip is on September 25 & 26.

Radioactive Decay May Vary

From Stanford University via Geology.com

The radioactive decay of some elements sitting quietly in laboratories on Earth seemed to be influenced by activities inside the sun, 93 million miles away.

Is this possible?

Researchers from Stanford and Purdue University believe it is. But their explanation of how it happens opens the door to yet another mystery....

New Oetzi Theory

From PhysOrg:

Oetzi, the 5,300-year-old "Iceman", may not have died at the site in the Italian Alps where he was found 19 years ago, but was only ceremonially buried there, according to a new theory revealed on Thursday....

Largest Emerald Find in US

From YahooNews:

An emerald so large it's being compared with the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great was pulled from a pit near corn rows at a North Carolina farm....

ESCONI Rockhound Flea Market - 10/2

On Saturday, October 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., ESCONI will be hosting a Rockhound Flea Market at the College of Dupage, Building K, Commons Area.

Free admission and parking.

You will find bargains galore - jewelry, gems, minerals, fossils, books, magazines, lapidary equipment...

Great for kids, parents, collectors and teachers!

Lecture on Hell Creek by Rob Sula - 9/18 - 2:00 pm, Lizzadro Museum

One of our members, Rob Sula, will be giving a lecture about “The Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek: A Biological Arms Race” at Lizzadro Museum on Saturday, September 18th, at 2:00 p.m. Ages 8 yrs. and up – 60 minutes Regular Museum Admission, Museum Members Free.

Description of lecture .... "Take a trip 66 million years back in time and explore the Hell Creek formation in South Dakota with field paleontologist, Rob Sula. Learn how paleontologists interpret fossils of Triceratops, Edmontosaurus and the mighty Tyrannosarus rex. Using actual fossils and excavation maps examine the amazing dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous . . . the last non-avian dinosaurs to walk on earth."

Help Wanted

Got a few hours to volunteer? The club could use some help with one or more areas...

Work Day at Storage Facility. Sat, 9/11, 9:00 a.m. Helping to sort, organize and decide which items would be good for the ESCONI Flea Market. Contact John Good at 630-483-2363 for directions to the facility.

ESCONI Flea Market. Sat. 10/2, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Helping to set up, take down, run a booth or assist with the live and silent auctions...  Questions? Contact John Good at 640-483-2363.

K-12 School Presentations. Every other month, local teachers ask our club to do a presentation for their class about the earth sciences - minerals, fossils, etc. If you would be interested in traveling to local schools and presenting to school kids, contact Karen Nordquist at 630-325-8189.

Hagerman Fossil Beds Temporary Closing

Via NTP:

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Idaho is home to the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse (Equus simplicidens) fossils in North America: 30 complete horse fossils and portions of 200 individual horses. The area has been closed to the public until further notice after a major wildfire burned over most of the park.

Fossils Collecting Field Trips 9/25, 9/26

Braceville—Mazon Creek Fossils. Free. Members only - (how to become a member) Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils on private property. Meet at 8:00 A.M. Saturday at the BP Amoco in Coal City. No Age Limit.  Hard Hats not required. Take I-55 to Exit 236 (Coal City). Take a right onto Highway 113 (Division Street). Go west to Broadway Street and Division in Coal City. We will be collecting Mazon Creek concretions from an old spoil pile on private property.

Hard hats are not required. Boots are recommended. An Estwing rock hammer is the best tool.  A small shovel or pick is helpful.  Knee pads, backpacks, fanny packs, extra clothes (you will get wet and muddy) are also a plus.  Bring a bucket for the fossils. Also bring insect repellent. Contact John Good at 630-483-2363 for reservations or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com

Many Upcoming Events!

Friday, 9/10, 8:00 p.m., General Meeting, College of Dupage Building K, Room #131, Dale Gnidovec, curator of Ohio State University's Orton Geological Museum will speak on the Morrison formation.

Saturday, 9/11, 9:00 a.m., Work day at the storage facility in preparation for the ESCONI Flea Market on October 2. Contact John Good at 630-483-2363 to sign up and get directions.

Saturday, 9/11, 7:30 p.m., Mineralogy Study Group Meeting, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131.

Saturday, 9/18, 7:30 p.m., Paleontology Study Group Meeting, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131. Will be photographing Problematica ...

Friday, 9/24, 7:30 p.m., Board Meeting, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 142 (note - room change)

Saturday, 9/25, 7:30 p.m., Archaeology Study Group Meeting, College of Dupage, Bldg., K, Rm 142 (note - room change).

Saturday & Sunday, 9/25 and 9/26  Field trip to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils.

Saturday, 10/2, ESCONI Flea Market, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (set up at 8:00 am), College of Dupage, Building K - Commons.

The Mother of All Humans

Via Science Daily:

The most robust statistical examination to date of our species' genetic links to "mitochondrial Eve" -- the maternal ancestor of all living humans -- confirms that she lived about 200,000 years ago...

New research on Earth's oldest reptiles

Podcast via Minnesota Public Radio:

Paleontologist Kristi Curry Rogers talks about her work on a new species of long-necked dinosaur, and how the discovery of the animal's "brain case" in Madagascar is the key to its identity. She also discusses recent developments in the world of paleontology...

Study on Badlands Erosion

Via Argus Leader:

... two researchers - Badlands National Park paleontologist Rachel Benton and Larry Stetler, a professor at the South Dakota School of Mines - will begin a three-year study this fall to answer the question, "Just how fast are the Badlands eroding?"...

Coprolites and Sharks

Via Brian Switek's site:

... Exactly what species produced the coprolites is unknown, but after analyzing a third specimen of the same composition found nearby the scientists determined that it had been produced by a carnivorous vertebrate other than a shark. A crocodile seemed to be a likely candidate, but the thing that made the paleontologists undertake this analysis in the first place was that the fossil feces showed characteristic tooth marks; one of the coprolites had been bitten into and the other had been severed. (You don't often see lines like "This tooth penetrated the feces to a depth of about 3 mm." in the literature.) A shark had bitten into these feces, but what kind of shark, and why?...

Paleontological Resources Preservation Act

Via National Park Service:

... H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, as Public Law 111-11. Title VI, Subtitle D of the act directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to implement a comprehensive paleontological resource management program on federal lands...

CCA Invitation for Mazon Field Trip 8/28

The Canal Corridor Association, which helps to preserve I & M Canal history, protect its environment, and create tourism, has invited ESCONI members to join their Mazon Creek field trip this Saturday, August 28.

Here are the details of their event:

Learn about the environment, ecosystems, and climate of Northern Illinois as it was 300 million years ago by collecting fossil specimens at the Mazon Fossil Beds.  You will be led through the most famous fossil site of the Midwest by Dave Dolak, Geologist from Columbia College Chicago.  The adventure begins with a hayride to the original site of the discoveries along the Mazon Creek as it was in the mid-1800s and the opportunity to collect the unique concretions such as ferns and horsetails.  Bring a bucket, rock hammer, shoes to wear in the creek, and casual clothing.  Everyone will have specimens to take home to remember the day.  Afterwards, more fun is to be had with cocktails and a barbeque to celebrate your finds.

1:30 pm Meet and Greet

2:00 pm Brief Overview of Geological History

3:00 pm-5:00 pm Creek Excursion

5:00 pm Cocktails

5:30 pm Barbeque

To R.S.V.P. please call the Canal Corridor Association at (815) 223-1851.

Reservations are required with a fee of $150.00 per participant.

The location is 70 miles from the Chicago Loop, 3 miles Southeast of Morris.  Details of the location will be provided upon reservation.

All proceeds will go to the Canal Corridor Association to help preserve I & M Canal history, protect its environment, and create tourism.  To check out our other events sponsored by the organization, log on to lasallecanalboat.org.

On-line Geology Courses

Geology.com lists some on on-line geology courses.

Arctic Shipwreck

Via Geology.com

Cold Arctic waters have preserved a ship that was trapped in Arctic ice – 1000 km north of the Arctic Circle – and abandoned 150 years ago. The remains of the HMS Investigator now rest on the bottom under about ten meters of water.

Collaboration Power

Via Mercury News:

In a stunning example of the power of the Internet to attract and connect the smartest minds on earth around the most difficult problems, scholars at UC Berkeley and Stanford have created a free website, called MathOverflow, which is transforming math research.

The format is simple. By linking questions and answers from hands-on participants, each small solution builds toward a larger understanding, accelerating research. And it proves that mass collaboration can greatly expand human problem-solving abilities.

Tennessee Red Panda

Via Aol:

Now, according to recent fossil findings, it appears the enigmatic red cousin to the black-and-white panda once roamed the long-ago forests of Tennessee.

Mica As Life

Via Discovery:

Helen Hansma, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara, developed the "life between the sheets" hypothesis.

The idea explains how the compartments between layers of mica -- a class of minerals that cleaves into smooth, flat planes -- provides a favorable chemical and physical environment for the development of biological molecules, such as RNA.

And another article from Science Daily.

Evolutionary Role of Shoulder

Via NPR:

It turns out that the shoulder altered the course of human evolution by giving us survival skills we never could have imagined without it.

Bermuda Triangle Solved

Via Salem-News:

According to two research scientists the mystery of vanished ships and airplanes in the region dubbed "The Bermuda Triangle" has been solved.

Step aside outer space aliens, time anomalies, submerged giant Atlantean pyramids and bizarre meteorological phenomena ... the "Triangle" simply suffers from an acute case of gas.

Newest Oldest Fossil

From Princeton via geology.com:

...Princeton scientists may have discovered the oldest fossils of animal bodies, suggesting that primitive sponge-like creatures were living in ocean reefs about 650 million years ago...

Under the Sea River

From Telegraph:

Researchers working in the Black Sea have found currents of water 350 times greater than the River Thames flowing along the sea bed, carving out channels much like a river on the land.

The undersea river, which is up to 115ft deep in places, even has rapids and waterfalls much like its terrestrial equivalents.

Scientific American's 165 Anniversary

Scientific American's 165th anniversary edition contains great articles, including an on-line, interactive article about archaeology in South Africa - When the Sea Saved Humanity - and a informative podcast - "When Humans Almost Died Out."

Oldest Evidence of Stone Tool Use

From PhysOrg:

These two bones from Dikika, which have been dated to roughly 3.4 million years ago, provide the oldest known evidence of stone tool use among human ancestors.

Meat Eating Hominid Debate

Good discussion on ScienceFriday:

A new study in the journal Nature suggests that the butchering of animals with tools by hominids occurred nearly a million years earlier than anthropologists thought. Study author Zeresenay Alemseged and anthroplogist David DeGusta discuss the finding and explain what it might add to our understanding of human evolution.

Kansas Rocks

Via Journal World:

“The basic purpose of that book is to dispel the notion that Kansas is flat and boring,” Buchanan says. “I don’t think Jim and I make the argument that Kansas is the scenic equivalent of Colorado. But we’re saying people should slow down and appreciate some subtleties. The more you know about a place, the more you’ll appreciate it, and the more you’ll take care of it.”

“Roadside Kansas” is a good primer for anyone wanting to learn more about the state, says Marci Penner, director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, which promotes tourism and preservation in the state....

Gas Line Uncovers Artifacts

Via Speigel Online:

...While environmentalists are sharply opposed to the construction of the new Baltic Sea pipeline, archaeologists are delighted. The massive Nord Stream project to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany has uncovered dozens of shipwrecks and other historic artifacts...

Brain Surgury 4,000 Years Ago

Via Archaeology News:

...The examination of a skeleton found during archaeological digs at Kultepe Hoyuk near the Kayseri Sivas highway suggests that the Assyrian tradesman's skull was opened 4,000 years ago to drain the cerebral cortex...

World's Oldest Organisms

From CNN via Geology.com:

Rachel Sussman is a time traveler. For the last few years, the American photographer has journeyed across the globe on a mission to bring back images of the world's oldest living organisms...

Ice Melt and Uplift

Via Geology News:

The ice on Greenland is melting so fast that the land in some areas uplifts at a rate of over 1″ per year. By 2025 it could be uplifting at twice that rate!

Obituary for Harry Whittington

Via Telegraph:

Professor Harry Whittington, who died on June 20 aged 94, was the former Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge and the world’s leading authority on fossil trilobites; in later life he led painstaking research which revealed a “Cambrian explosion” and raised disturbing questions about the processes of evolution....

Primate Split

Via Science News:

... Discoverers of a partial apelike skull in western Saudi Arabia say that it now appears that a poorly understood parting of major primate groups occurred between 29 million and 24 million years ago. A 2004 analysis of DNA from living apes and monkeys in Africa and Asia had estimated an earlier divergence, between 34.5 and 29.2 million years ago...

Ohio's Stonehenge

Via National Geographic:

... Among their latest finds: Like Stonehenge, the Ohio timber circles were likely used to mark astronomical events such as the summer solstice...

A New Henge at Stonehenge

Via Christian Science Monitor:

... The find, discovered 3,000 feet away from the ancient stone structures, is nothing less than a whole new henge – that is, a circular ditch enclosing a ring which could possibly be the remains of another – but this time wooden – monument. The new henge is being dubbed "Timberhenge" or Stonehenge’s “lost twin."...

Digging Dinosaurs

Via Discovery News:

...Rare evidence has been found of dinosaurs preying on mammals. Fossilized mammal burrows that appear to have been clawed out by a predator suggests that some theropod dinosaurs dug into mammal dens to get furry morsels...