Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Ancient Atmosphere Linked to Rich Ore

Via Science Daily:

...Using geochemical clues from rocks nearly 3 billion years old, a group of scientists including Andrey Bekker and Doug Rumble from the Carnegie Institution have made the surprising discovery that the creation of economically important nickel ore deposits was linked to sulfur in the ancient oxygen-poor atmosphere...

Micro Photos of Pollen

Amazing micro photos of pollen from National Geographic.

Hiking to Bottom of Grand Canyon

NYTimes on visiting the Grand Canyon.

...It’s not just a trip out of the human realm, but into the deep geology of the earth. Layer upon layer of the planet’s crust is revealed, stratum by stratum: the Toroweap limestone, the Coconino sandstone, the Redwall limestone, the Tonto Group; the Vishnu schist deep down, close to two billion years old, nearly half the total age of the planet — the stuff that is under our very feet as we go about our lives is laid bare here. And in the silence and stillness, in the solitude of the canyon in winter, it’s all the more impressive....

Geology Exhibit in Kenosha

“Rocks and Minerals from the Kenosha Public Museum’s Geology Collection” is a new exhibit opening Saturday, Nov. 21, in the Abbott Labs Fund Treasures Gallery at the museum, 5500 First Ave. 

The exhibit includes examples of gold, silver, copper, geodes and fossils. Specimens from the Upper Middle West are showcased, including phantom calcite from Vulcan Quarry in Racine. The exhibit also features many new additions to the collection. This is the first rocks and minerals display in more than eight years at the museum.

Holiday Party & General Meeting - Friday, December 4th

The annual party will be at Greek Islands West, 300 East 22nd Street, Lombard, IL from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

1) Bring cash to the Holiday dinner at the Greek Islands. Each table will get a check, so with the exception of one person per table, everyone will be paying in cash.

2) The Secret Santa gift cost should be $15 and if gender specific, please indicate.

The annual party will be at Greek Islands West, 300 East 22nd Street, Lombard, IL from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Western Illinois University Paper Published

Via Science News:

...The fossil record suggests that sauropods, some of the largest creatures ever to live on land (SN: 6/23/01, p. 397), evolved from a small bipedal dinosaur, says Matthew Bonnan, a vertebrate paleontologist at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Now, Bonnan and his colleagues describe a small sauropod ancestor with features foreshadowing those of more recent relatives. The work appears online November 10 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B...

Collapsing Land in Oil Fields New Mexico

Via MSNBC:

"US 285 south subject to sinkhole 1,000 feet ahead," motorists are warned.

But there is little other evidence that in southeastern New Mexico's oil country, a giant cavern sits beneath the earth, ready to swallow part of the highway and possibly a church, several businesses and a trailer park.... (includes video).

Oxford Prehistoric Findings

Via Oxford University:

Archaeologists excavating the former Radcliffe Infirmary site in Oxford have uncovered evidence of a prehistoric monumental landscape stretching across the gravel terrace between the Thames and Cherwell rivers... (includes video)

Dinosaurs Who Sweat

Via PhysOrgNews:

In a study published this week in the journal PLoS ONE, a team of researchers, including Herman Pontzer, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, has found strong evidence that many dinosaur species were probably warm-blooded.

Ocean cooled more than a billion years earlier

Via R&D:

The scalding-hot sea that supposedly covered the early Earth may in fact never have existed, according to a new study by Stanford University researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in 3.4 billion-year-old ocean floor rocks. Their findings suggest that the early ocean was much more temperate and that, as a result, life likely diversified and spread across the globe much sooner in Earth's history than has been generally theorized.

Learn About Lapidary - Saturday, 11/21

Learn more about lapidary art and making jewelry with members of the West Suburban Lapidary Club. Club members will demonstrate cabachon cutting, silver smithing, wire wrapping, beading and carving. Children can participate in making a rock critter or creating a gemstone picture frame.

Free jewelry cleaning! Learn a new hobby!

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Elmhurst, IL.

All ages welcome. 12 - 4 p.m. Free Admission.

Reminder: RSVP for holiday party by Dec 1st

If you would like to attend the Holiday Party on Friday, December 4th, please RSVP by December 1st to Rob Sula (630) 236-9695, sulasaurus@comcast.net.

The annual party will be at Greek Islands West, 300 East 22nd Street, Lombard, IL from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The party will be dutch, that is, you will pay your own check.

There will be a Secret Santa gift exchange, which is optional. If you do want to participate, please make sure that your gift is earth-science related, has a value of $15.00 and is labeled "male" or "female" if it is a gender specific gift.

After the party, ESCONI will have a special 60th anniversary meeting, College of Dupage, Room K 131, 8:00 p.m. Special presentation.

Geology Study of Coal Fly Ash Spill

Via The Appalachian Online:

Geology professor Roy C. Sidle has received approximately $80,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research evaluating the downstream impact of the coal fly ash spill in Kingston, Tenn.

Stimulus $ to Geologists

From Cache Valley Daily:

Utah State University is leading the way in a federally funded $4.6 million-dollar geothermal drilling project that will create dozens of jobs and student research opportunities, while simultaneously fueling energy development and deciphering the Snake River Plain’s volcanic history. A separate $300,000 project will advance carbon capture and storage technologies, while providing innovative student training opportunities....

Paleontology Meeting: Sat. 11/21 - Arthropods

Paleontology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K - Rm 131, Devonian Period Paleontology. Bring your Mazon Creek arthropods, excluding shrimp and including insects and millipedes.

10 Things You Don't Know About the Earth

From Discover:

1) The Earth is smoother than a billiard ball...

Rock Shows in November and December

Via Geology News from The Vug: Rock Shows of November and December.

Scientist Zeresenay Alemseged: Someone to Know

 Via EthioBlog:

Ethiopian scientist Zeresenay (Zeray) Alemseged, who discovered the 3.3 million year old girl fossil called Selam in Ethiopia, is featured on PBS's "Becoming Human" documentary which is being shown this week. Zeresenay is currently curator and chair of anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences and a world renowned paleontologist....

3-D Technology Preserves Dinosaur Footprint

From Science Daily:

Using portable 3D laser technology, scientists have electronically preserved a rare 110 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur footprint that was previously excavated and built into the wall of a bandstand at a Texas courthouse in the 1930s....

Congratulations ESCONI - 60 Years!

60 years ago today, the thirteen founding members came together for the first ESCONI meeting. You can read the minutes of their first meeting.

As part of the celebrations, ESCONI will have a special 60th anniversary meeting and a special presentation on Friday, December 4th at College of Dupage, Room K-131, 8:00 pm.

Before this special meeting, everyone is invited to attend the annual ESCONI holiday celebration, 5:30-7:30 pm, Greek Islands West, 300 East 22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois, (630) 932-4545. The party is dutch - that is, you will pay your own check. Secret Santa grab bag (optional).  Please RSVP by December 1st to Rob Sula,(630) 236-9695, sulasaurus@comcast.net.

The new banner at the top of the web page was created to recognize ESCONI's 60 year celebration. Many thanks go Andrew Young and Marie Angkuw for working with me and sharing their collaborative ideas and feedback on the numerous iterations of the banner design.