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ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
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- 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #11: Smokey Quartz
Today’s preview is a beautiful piece of smokey quartz. Come on out to the show and this stunning mineral specimen can be yours!
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Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings!
| Friday, March 13th | General Meeting – 8:00 PM via Zoom. Jeffrey Amelse will be presenting “Archaeological, Geological, and Other Historic Sites in Portugal.” |
| Saturday, March 14th | Field Trip – “Escape the Excavation: A hands-on archaeological adventure” – College of DuPage, 1pm – 3pm. Details here. |
| Saturday, March 21st | 66th ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Details here. |
| Sunday, March 22nd | 66th ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Details here. |
| No meeting this month | Mineralogy Study Group |
| No meeting this month | Paleontology Study Group |
| No meeting this month | Junior Study Group |
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #11: Smokey Quartz
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #11: Smokey QuartzToday’s preview is a beautiful piece of smokey quartz. Come on out to the show and this stunning mineral specimen can be yours!
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Des Plaines Valley Geological Society’s 61st Annual Jewelry, Mineral, Gem & Fossil Show, March 28-29, 2026
Read more: Des Plaines Valley Geological Society’s 61st Annual Jewelry, Mineral, Gem & Fossil Show, March 28-29, 2026Des Plaines Valley Geological Society’s 61st Annual Jewelry, Mineral, Gem & Fossil Show, March 28-29, 2026. Des Plaines Park District Leisure Center, 2222 Birch St., Des Plaines, IL. Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-4. Adults $3, seniors $2, students over 12 or with school ID $1, children under 12 free when accompanied by an adult. Dealers, demonstrators, silent auction, geode cutting, kids’ activities, and door prize drawings. Contact Connie Lavin at (815) 222-8197, email Nival48@hotmail.com or call Mike Hanley at (847) 525-2941.
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PBS Eons: Why Evolution Made Your Teeth Hurt
Read more: PBS Eons: Why Evolution Made Your Teeth HurtThere’s a new episode of PBS Eons. This one is about the evolution of teeth.
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Fossil Friday #307: Euphoberia sp. From Pit 11
Read more: Fossil Friday #307: Euphoberia sp. From Pit 11For today, we have a very nice Mazon Creek millipede. Euphoberia is an extinct genus of millipede found in both Europe and North America. The genus was erected by Fielding Bradford Meek and Amos Henry Worthen when they described Euphoberia armigera as a centipede in 1868.
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #10: Merycoidodon (Oreodon) Jaw
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #10: Merycoidodon (Oreodon) JawFor today’s preview, we have a nice Merycoidodon (Oreodon) Jaw from the Brule Formation near Chadron, Nebraska. The Brule Formation dates to the Oligocene about 34 and 30 million years ago. This jaw is in nice shape with six complete teeth. Show details can be found here
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ESCONI Events for March 2026
Read more: ESCONI Events for March 2026Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! We have the General Meeting, an archaeology field trip, and the ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show!
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #9: Yellow Fluorite from the Minerva Mine
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #9: Yellow Fluorite from the Minerva MineWe have an 11 pound chunk of yellow fluorite for this preview. It’s likely from the Minerva Mine in Cave in Rock, IL. Here’s another specimen from the Minerva Mine sold at the 2025 show.
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Mazon Monday #311: Strip mining begins in Braidwood on May 23, 1928
Read more: Mazon Monday #311: Strip mining begins in Braidwood on May 23, 1928Yesterday marked opening day for fossil collecting at the IDNR Mazonia–Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area. I hope you were able to make it out… or are planning a trip soon. This is prime season for collecting at Pit 11, the name many collectors still use for Mazonia–Braidwood.
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #8: A Tully Monster on Pit 11’s Opening Day!
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #8: A Tully Monster on Pit 11’s Opening Day!Today is opening day of fossil collecting season at the Mazonia-Braidwood State Park. So, it’s only fitting that the preview for today is a Tully Monster. Here it is… we hope you get out, enjoy some fresh air, and find a Tully today!
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Report for the Junior’s Study Group Meeting February 2026
Read more: Report for the Junior’s Study Group Meeting February 2026The meeting began with the Juniors Chair handing out the tradeable earth science specimens. Then he introduced the speaker, Finn Lutz. Finn is a senior at Oak Park River Forest High School. He talked about the display that he brought, which was his Eagle Scout project for ESCONI. The project began years ago with a dilapidated old show display board that someone found in the ESCONI warehouse. The display board was about 4’x2′ and had a map of Illinois and its adjacent states in the middle. Rock, mineral, and fossil specimens found in those states were glued around the edge…
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ESCONI Books and Items for Sale
Read more: ESCONI Books and Items for SaleESCONI actively sells our Club’s new books on Mazon Creek fossils that were written by Jack Wittry (an Honorary Club member). We also sell other ESCONI-branded items such as T-shirts, hats, mugs, ornaments, memory sticks, etc., in addition to used books that are donated to the Club. These items are for sale at ESCONI’s annual March Show and at various other Club events. Some of these items are sold by ESCONI on eBay. To find these books and items on eBay using your computer: Your computer’s browser may have some slight variances in the steps. If you are using your…
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Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s Annual Silent Auction, Saturday, March 14, 2026
Read more: Reminder: Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s Annual Silent Auction, Saturday, March 14, 2026Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s Annual Silent Auction Saturday, March 14, 2026 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) Plus a special live auction of high-end specimens during the last half-hour! The first table closes at 6:30 p.m. Bid on minerals, fossils, crystals, geodes, gemstones, handmade jewelry, rough rock, books, magazines, and lapidary treasures galore. Families are welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. Free admission. Free parking. For more information, contact Jeanine N. Mielecki, (312) 623-1554 or email jaynine9@aol.com or visit http://chicagorocks.org. Follow…
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Vendor List
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Vendor ListThe 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show will be here before you know it! Here is the vendor list. Exclusive Inspirations Wisconsin Janski Designs Illinois Rock’s Rocks Illinois Rock Stars Illinois Michael’s Mineral Exchange Illinois Fossil Hut Illinois Grab Your Rocks Illinois Lavin’s Gems Illinois KP Rocks and Minerals Michigan RockhoundMike Minerals Illinois Joe’s Jems Illinois Of The Earth Elements Illinois ReVibe Crystals Illinois Adventures in Stone Illinois Paleocasts Illinois Dragon’s Hoard Minerals Illinois Adam Holm Illinois Rocks, Minerals and Things Iowa Mighty Gem and Mineral Co. Illinois Mystic Moraine Minerals Wisconsin
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Fossil Friday #306: Cyclus obesus
Read more: Fossil Friday #306: Cyclus obesusJust earlier this week, Mazon Monday #310 was about Cyclus obesus. That post was triggered by Mike Monteith’s recent find. On one of the nice days last week, Mike was going through his freeze/thaw from this winter and found this very nice Cyclus obesus. Thanks for sharing, Mike!
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Throwback Thursday #306: This is Life…
Read more: Throwback Thursday #306: This is Life…This is Throwback Thursday #306. 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! email:esconi.info@gmail.com. I received an interesting book from Bob Goss last November. You may remember him from a couple Fossil Friday’s (Fossil Friday #284 Alethopteris lonchitica/Alethopteris serlii and Fossil Friday #297 Alethopteris serlii), which both featured beautiful Mazon Creek seed-ferns collected by his father, Cecil Goss. Cecil Goss was a Methodist pastor with a passion for fossil and mineral collecting. He was pastor of the…
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Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks, Ticks 2026!
Read more: 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 February warm spell, the ticks are getting early this year. Ticks are more than just a nuisance; they are vectors for several serious diseases. In Illinois, keep an eye out for these common species: Stay Safe: Before you head out, make sure to “spray up”…
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2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #7: Paleoctopus newbolti from Lebanon
Read more: 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #7: Paleoctopus newbolti from LebanonThis is the preview post #7 for the 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2026 will be held on March 21th and 22nd at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here. We have something a little different for today’s preview… a fossil squid from the Cretaceous. This animal, Paleoctopus newbolti, was found in the Late Cretaceous Period deposits of Lebanon. It’s not as famous as other lagerstatten, but the Lebanese lagerstatten has very finely preserved plants and…
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Paleontologist Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues RIP (1956-2026)
Read more: Paleontologist Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues RIP (1956-2026)We are sad to hear of the sudden passing of Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Here is the Smithsonian’s announcement on Facebook. It is with profound sadness that we share the news that our friend and colleague Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, unexpectedly passed away this weekend. After receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard, he was a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University and our museum. Following a distinguished career at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, he returned here as the…
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Mazon Monday #310: Cyclus obesus
Read more: Mazon Monday #310: Cyclus obesusThis is Mazon Monday post #310. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Cyclus obesus is one of four species of Cycloidea found in Mazon Creek. It was described in the paper “Mazon Creek Cycloidea” by Frederick Schram. The paper was published in the Journal of Paleontology in 1997. In that paper, Schram established three new species of Cycloidea… Cyclus obesus, new species, Halicyne max, new species, and Apionicon apioides, new genus, new species. The new ones joined Cyclus americanus (see Mazon Monday #28), which was described by Alpheus Spring Packard (1839-1905) in 1885. Abstract of “Mazon Creek Cycloidea“ The Mazon Creek…
