Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

ESCONI Events October 2019

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings!

Fri, Oct 11th	ESCONI Junior Meeting, 7:00 PM College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038A (Map) - Topic: "Fossils"
Fri, Oct 11th	ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 PM College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038A (Map) - Topic: "Local Vertebrate Microfossil and Brachiopod Records of the Late Devonian Mass Extinction" by Dr. James E. "Jed" Day, Professor of Geology at Illinois State University
Sat, Oct 12th	ESCONI Field Trip, Rockford Area Gravel Pit, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Details here
Sat, Oct 19th	ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting -Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: "Waves, Winds, and Tides: Fossil Collecting on the West Dorset Coast of Southern England" by ESCONI Member Andrew Young - Details here
Fri, Oct 25th	ESCONI Field Trip, St. Paul Quarry in St. Paul, IN, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM - Details here
Sat, Oct 26th	ESCONI Field Trip, Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University, 10:00 AM - Details here

Happy National Fossil Day! #NationalFossilDay @NatFossilDay #fossils

Today, October 16th, 2019 is National Fossil Day!  In the Chicago area, the Burpee Museum and Cosley Zoo have events.  Check for events around you here.  Pass it around and hug your favorite fossil!  It was appreciate it!

The Mirror: Earth Science Week photo competition winners - including stunning shot of Rainbow Mountain #EarthScienceWeek #nature #photography

The winning photo was taken in The Gerlache Strait, Antarctica by Ingrid Demaerschalk

The Mirror has a post with pictures from the winners of the 2019 Earth Science Week photography competition, "Geoscience for everyone".

Rainbow Mountain in Vinicuna, Peru by Leith Livingstone (Image: Leith Livingstone)

Reminder: ESCONI October Paleontology Study Group Meeting October 19th, 2019 - Waves, Winds, and Tides: Fossil Collecting on the West Dorset Coast of Southern England @LymeRegisMuseum @MaryAnningRocks

Waves, Winds, and Tides: Fossil Collecting on the West Dorset Coast of Southern England.

Presentation by: Andrew Young, with Marie Angkuw, Jann Bergsten, Rhonda Gates, and Deborah Lovely.

For the last several years, a group of ESCONI members have traveled to England in winter to collect fossils on its famous Jurassic Coast. Contrary to the time of year when vacationers typically hit the beaches looking for calm water and sunny skies, these enthusiasts plan their adventures precisely when the weather promises to be most violent and the tides most dramatic. It is when the fragile cliffs along the shoreline are fast-eroding from surf action that the incredible geologic history of the place is in best view.

Low tide on Charmouth Beach with Golden Cap in the distance, the highest point on the southern coast of Great Britain.

Twice now, our intrepid explorers have delivered ESCONI club presentations on Lyme Regis and its surroundings. They have covered the town’s fascinating and centuries-old religious, economic, and industrial history, the accomplishments of its most famous citizen – paleontologist Mary Anning – as well as their own experiences combing the beaches for fossil treasures. Their excitement for these trips is truly contagious.

Newly found pyritized Echioceras sp. ammonite on Charmouth Beach.

This past February, I was invited to join the expedition and it proved to be even more remarkable than any photo can capture. Though familiar beaches and fossil shops were revisited, this trip expanded to new locations and introductions with locals whose addiction and knowledge about collecting in the area were most helpful to us. It was really an evolution of discovery: new techniques of searching, new species found, and new relationships with similarly passionate people, all of which build on previous visits.

Rhonda Gates, Jann Bergsten, and Marie Angkuw at Seatown Beach.

On Saturday, October 19^th, at the ESCONI Paleo Group Meeting, I will lead a slide show presentation about this recent collecting adventure. Marie Angkuw, Jann Bergsten, Rhonda Gates, and Deborah Lovely will be present to contribute their stories and perspectives as we discuss what we’ve learned about collecting at the edge of an ocean, what we found, and the richness of the landscape overall. We’ll also bring our specimens for show-and-tell. Please join us for an exciting evening of further exploring the Jurassic Coast of southern England.

- Andrew Young

A large, water-worn ammonite in matrix at Monmouth Beach, Lyme Regis.

Happy Earth Science Week, October 13-19, 2019! #EarthScienceWeek

 

This week is Earth Science Week.  Look here for the details.  Check out the newsletter.

Sunday, October 13
International Earthcache Day. Explore the world with this GPS scavenger hunt!

Monday, October 14
Earth Science Literacy Day. Learn the fundamentals of geosciences with Earth Science: Big Idea, a video series developed to explain why Earth science literacy is important.

Tuesday, October 15
Earth Observation Day. Engage students and teachers in remote sensing as an exciting and powerful educational tool.

No Child Left Inside Day. NCLI Day encourages students to go outside and research Earth science in the field like a professional geoscientist.

Wednesday, October 16
National Fossil Day. The annually held National Fossil Day celebration is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of fossils.

Thursday, October 17
Geoscience for Everyone Day. Do your part to help young people from underrepresented communities explore exciting careers in the geosciences.

Friday, October 18
Geologic Map Day. Hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, Association of American State Geologists, National Park Service, Geological Society of America, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in partnership with AGI, this special event promotes awareness of the study, uses, importance of geologic mapping for education, science, business, and a variety of public policy concerns.

Saturday, October 19
International Archaeology Day. Hosted by the Archaeological Institute of America, this special event is a celebration of archaeology and the thrill of discovery.

National Fossil Day 2019 Event: Lauer Foundation at the Cosley Zoo on October 19th, 2019 #MazonCreek #fossils @LauerFoundation

The National Fossil Day has a page with events planned for on and near the actual date of Wednesday, October 16th, 2019.  There's quite a few events listed and an interesting one listed for Illinois.  The Lauer Foundation and the Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, IL are holding an event on Saturday, October 19th, 2019.  There will be Mazon Creek fossils, including the Illinois State Fossil Tully Monster.  Additionally, they plan to have shark teeth and dinosaur teeth and bones.   It should be a great time!  Here are all the details.

Cosley Zoo

Celebrate National Fossil Day

Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education and the Cosley Zoo

Join The Lauer Foundation and Cosley Zoo on Saturday October 19, 2019 to Celebrate National Fossil Day.

See first hand some of Illinois’ famous Mazon Creek fossils, including the state fossil the Tully Monster.  Also see Megalodon shark teeth and dinosaur teeth and bones.  Learn about fossils and geology. Have a chance to touch real fossils and take home a free fossil.  All free with admission to Cosley Zoo.  We will be open from 10-4.

Date(s) of Event: Saturday October 19, 2019

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: Cosley Zoo 1356 N. Gary Ave Wheaton, IL

Contact Information: Bruce and Rene Lauer Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education 630.408.9304,Tami Romejko Education & Guest Experience Manager Cosley Zoo 630.665.5534

Website: Lauerfoundationpse.org, Cosleyzoo.org

 

ESCONI Flashback Friday #22: Interesting Memories From the Early Days of ESCONI (15th Anniversary)

As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #22.  If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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For this Flashback Friday post, we have two letters that appeared in the 15th Anniversity issue of the Earth Science News.  The first is from Bill Allaway, one of the founding members and the first chairman/president of ESCONI.  The second is from Jay and Elizabeth Farr, also founding members.  Both letters convey the same vision of ESCONI when it was first founded.  ESCONI was very much (and still is) a scientific organization that specializes in education, both through monthly educational meetings and community outreach.

The Allaways and the Farrs in 1951

BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR ESCONI FRIENDS-

Greetings from the Allaways in sunny Los Gatos, California. The only thing we haven't got is Esconi with all of its many fine activities and friendly people which we miss greatly. We look forward each month to receiving the fine bulletin which you produce so efficiently, as it keeps in touch with our friends and the wonderful way they continue to carry on the ideals that were set up when Esconi was organized.

On this 15th Anniversary year, it seems as though it was just yesterday that Roy Beghtol and I were producing the first Earth Science News and I might mention that there has never been a gap in all the months that have passed since that time, that a great bulletin has failed to roll off the press.

Probably nobody realizes the extent of the influence that Esconi has had in the field of earth science. The many clubs that have been formed in local communities by Esconi members - the Earth Science Magazine which reaches out all over the world - the Langford Books on Wilmington fossils - the Armstrong book on Trilobites - the many contributions by Esconi members in the Illinois Archaeological Bulletins, which are really great books - the junior members who are now making a mark in a number of fields of earth science. I believe I could go on all day citing these many achievements but I must try not to be too windy.

I would like to mention, however, that Esconi members have played a great part in the miracle called the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Arts, which I am proud to say I served for a time as Vice President of the Board of Directors. I do not need to mention what that institution means to the Chicago area.

Little did we dream what we were starting on that cold night back in November 1949, when a small group of boys and their fathers met with Jay Farr, Steve Norvell, Roy Beghtol and myself in our basement on Prince Street.

We can thank a long, long list of loyal, hardworking officers and members for the great organization and the amazing achievements of Esconi and hope it will continue for many, many years to come.

We are both well, have most of our rocks unpacked, sawing, grinding, and polishing equipment set up and have our museum in good shape, which my daughter Peggy has dubbed "Pappy's Play Pen".

We have joined the local church and rock club and our greatest difficulty is to find enough hours in the day to do all the things we vould like to do.

We would be very happy to see any of our friends that happen to come out this way, and will guarantee to show them roses in December.

Sincerely yours,

J.H. Allaway                            J. H. (Bill) Allaway
15790 Loma Vista                     1st Chairman of Esconi
Los Gatos, Calif. 95030

 

Interesting memories of the early days of Esconi

by Jay and Elizabeth Farr-Charter Members

Over the years we have had many experiences well worth repeating over and over again, however, only five short years ago most of these stories were told by various persons in our 10th Anniversary issue, (November 1959) which is in volume 10 of our bound bulletins in our library.

We therefore, shall limit ourselves to the last five years, and since there are other charter members who may submit long stories we shall limit ourselves to one experience. It had to do with certain reports we were obliged to file with the United States Government, defending our dignity as an organization.

The essence of these reports should be of interest to every member. ESCONI is a "Non-profit" organization, incorporated under the laws of the state of Illinois, NOT as a "Hobby Club", NOT as a bunch of "Rock Hounds", NOT as "Pebble Polishers", but as a CCRPORATTON organized for the purpose of STUDYING AND PROMOTING INTEREST IN THE EARTH SCIENCES. By virtue of our declared purpose and what we really do, ESCONI enjoys certain legal priveleges under the Federal laws. These priveleges were not granted automatically but were procured by effort and formal process of law. They can be preserved only by achievement and guarded demeanor.

1. We are exempt from Federal Income Tax and furthermore, gifts to ESCONI are deductable from estate and income taxes by donors.

2. We mail our bulletins to certain non-profit at a special postage rate available only organizations.

Both of these priveleges are available to us because we are organized and operated for educational and scientific purposes.

The minute we cease to fit into this category we cease to qualify; so let us all enter into our activities. The minute we become a hobby club we cease to qualify; so let us continue to be devoted to our declared task, and let us not overwork the expression "wonderful hobby". We do not exclude from membership, persons who consider some of our activities as their hobbies; yet we did not organize and do not operate as a hobby club. Our record stands as a witness to our devotion to our declared objectives.

Some items from our record are listed below:

-     ESCONI successfully launched the first government inspired Earth Science Veek ever held in this part of the United States of America (Oct. 8-14, 1951). This was educational.

-     ESCONI since organizing in 1949 has presented monthly programs open to the public without charge. These are educational programs devoted to the earth sciences.

-     ESCONI has always published a bulletin, The Earth Science News, and it always has contained information that is educational.

-     ESCONI since December of 1952 has conducted formal Earth Science classes for elementary school children in various metropolitan villages. Our Junior membership ranges around 200.

-     ESCONI members in 1953 took special training and then conducted what is probably the most complete Archaeological excavation ever made in the Chicago Area. The data and material from the "Thornton Dig" were turned over to the Chicago Museum of Natural History. This was scientific.

-     ESCONI members (4 teachers and 3 others) in 1955 produced a "Science Curriculum Guide" (text book) which was adopted and put into use in the Hinsdale school system. This was educational.

-     ESCONI members in 1958 published the now famous Paleontology reference book "The Wilmington Coal Flora", and in 1963 they published its sequel 'The Wilmington Coal Fauna". This was educational.

-     ESCONI has a library of well over 100 books for the use of students and members and others studying the earth science: This is educational.

-     ESCONI members, each year, serve as judges at exhibits of the Illinois Junior Academy of Sciences at local schools and at the final contest at the University of Illinois. This is Educational.

-     ESCONI maintains educational exhibits in various libraries in this vicinity. This is educational.

-     ESCONI by invitation assisted with the design of the educational exhibit on Paleontology in the Lizzadro Museum. This is educational.

-     ESCONI pays for subscriptions to "Earth Science" magazine for thirty schools in the Chicago suburbs.

It has been our good fortune to participate in most of these activities and therefore, it is natural that helping compile these reports is one of our outstanding memories for this period.

                                                Jay and Elizabeth Farr Charter members.

 

 

WTTW: Field Museum’s New Meteorite Contains Stardust That Predates the Solar System @FieldMuseum #meteorite

 

WTTW News has a piece about a new meteorite at the Field Museum.  The new specimen is a 4-pound chunk of a meteorite that crashed into a Costa Rican village earlier this year.  The chunk was purchased by frequent donor Terry Boudreaux, a retired health care executive.  The unimpressive looking rock is a rare carbonaceous chondrite that contains large amounts of organic compounds that date to about 4.5 billion years ago.

The biggest piece of the meteorite discovered – the rock now in the Field’s possession – landed near a farm in Aguas Zarcas, a town of about 20,000 people northwest of San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. Boudreaux said the mother of the family living on the farm found the rock within an hour of its fall and placed it in a sealed plastic bag, a crucial step that experts say helped preserve the rock’s potentially groundbreaking contents.

“We think meteorites like this contain the building blocks of life,” said Philipp Heck, the Field’s associate curator for meteoritics and polar studies. The rock likely holds answers to questions about the origin of the oxygen humans breathe and the carbon from which we are made, he said.

Of the 13,000 meteorite pieces in the museum’s collections, the new rock is the only of its kind, containing pristinely preserved amounts of stardust made up of materials that predate the Earth, sun and our entire solar system.

ScienceAlert: A Fossil of a Ginormous Flying Reptile Has Just Been Discovered in Australia #fossils #pterosaurs

Science Alert has a story about a huge pterosaur discovery in Australia.  Pterosaurs seem to be in the news lately and this one is called "Iron Dragon", Ferrodraco lentoni.  Discovered in the Winton area of central western Queensland, it had a wingspan of about 4 meters (13 feet).  This animal lived about 96 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period.  The paper describing this specimen appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.

The newly discovered species, which my colleagues and I have named Ferrodraco lentoni, had a wingspan of about 4 metres (13 feet). It lived around 96 million years ago, and was surprisingly similar to other pterosaurs from England, suggesting that these huge flying reptiles could traverse the globe with relative ease.

Pterosaurs are quite rare in the fossil record, as their bones are hollow and the outer bone in most instances is only 1 millimetre thick. Only 15 pterosaur specimens have ever been scientifically described from Australia, many of them incomplete.

Until recently, only two species of Australian pterosaur had been described: Mythunga camara and Aussiedraco molnari, both based on fossil skull fragments.

Although more complete fossils of similar pterosaurs are known from Brazil and China, until this discovery, our understanding of the pterosaurs that lived in Australia during the Cretaceous period was limited.

NBC5: Smell Sue the T. Rex's Breath at New Field Museum Exhibit @FieldMuseum @SUEtheTrex #dinosaurs

NBC5 has a segment on some new features in SUE exhibit at the Field Museum.  You can feel her skin, hear her rumble, even smell her breath... it's a whole day in the life of a T-rex!

What did Sue the T. Rex's breath smell like back in the day (i.e. the late Cretaceous Period)? In short, not great. The Field Museum's multi-sensory portion of the new Sue exhibit lets visitors sniff what the famous dino's breath might have smelled like, feel her "skin" and more. NBC 5's Kye Martin reports. (Published Friday, Oct 4, 2019)

NetGeo: Inside the homes (and minds) of fossil collectors #fossils

Workers at Zoic, a fossil restoration firm in Trieste, Italy, reassemble an Allosaurus unearthed in Wyoming. The specimen later sold at auction in Paris for $1.4 million.  PHOTOGRAPH BY GABRIELE GALIMBERTI AND JURI DE LUCA

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 sell only after years of price-cutting. Even so, assorted scandals—faked specimens from China, illicitly smuggled dinosaur bones from Mongolia, and careless or illegal excavations everywhere—have sustained the hostility of some academic paleontologists toward private collectors. So has the tendency to treat precious fossils merely as aesthetic objects, or worse.

In Tucson, one dealer hawked an Apatosaurus leg to passersby, crying, “That would’ve been a heckuva barbecue!” Another dealer was selling a Tyrannosaurus skull—just a resin cast, not the real thing—coated in gold, for the discerning buyer to “show it to friends to say, Wow!” Little wonder one paleontologist argued in a blog post for seizure of some dinosaurs by eminent domain to discourage “those who would profit by stabbing science in the eyes.”

ESCONI October Junior Meeting on Friday October 11th, 2019 at 7:00 PM - Fossils #fossils

Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Does your child love collecting fossils?

Join us at our next junior meeting!

Friday October 11th 7pm

College of Dupage

Technical Education Center West side room 1038A

We will collect while staying in the room! Anything is possible with ESCONI. Kids age 6 to 17 are guaranteed to be thrilled.

Contact gallowayscottf@gmail.com with questions

Go to www.esconi.org for the map

PBS Eons: When Antarctica Was Green

 

PBS Eons has a new episode.  This one discusses when Antarctica was green and had a population of animals.

Before the start of the Eocene Epoch about 56 million years ago--Antarctica was still joined to both Australia and South America. And it turns out that a lot of what we recognize about the southern hemisphere can be traced back to that time when Antarctica was green.

Reminder: Rock and Fossil Garage Sale - Saturday, October 5th, 2019 #fossils #minerals #MazonCreek

There will be a sale of rocks and fossils from the collection of Dave and Sheila Bergmann on consecutive Saturday, October 5th, 2019 at 401 S. Lombard Ave, Lombard, IL from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Material for sale includes minerals and fossils in flats, as well as individual specimens. There will also be equipment, jewelry, and carvings along with some antiques, fishing equipment, lawn equipment and miscellaneous items.

 

ESCONI Flashback Friday #21: 10th Anniversary President's Message

As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #21.  If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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In the 10th Anniversary edition of the Earth Science News, ESCONI President Wilbur L. Hoff had this message.  While smaller now than we once were, we still strive to uphold the ideals mentioned herein.  Come on out and meet some interesting people who all love Earth Science!

Wilbur Hoff, Jay Farr, and Jerry Prepp in February 1958

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE DEDICATING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF "THE EARTH SCIENCE CLUB OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS"

On this tenth anniversary of "ESCONI" and as its duly elected president, I feel very humble indeed that it falls to my lot to write an appropriate message on this momentous occasion.  In presenting the following points, I am more or less expressing the thoughts that have run thru my mind in my year and a half as President.

Running a club of 585 members is big business.  In addition to my office, there are 15 other executive board members, all contributing a great deal of work and time as an outside activity.  None of these people present "bills" for the money spent on phone calls, gasoline for errands, small items to maintain good programs, contributions to the door prizes and donations to the auction. Likewise, these characteristics are typical of our membership.

I have tried to analyze the factors that make for such a wonderful relationship and have wished many times that the professions by which we make our living could be run with the same high standards of business ethics and good conduct as I have experienced with the other board members in running this club.

Is it because these activities are voluntary and carry no thought of making a living? Do we select Earth Science as a means of relaxing our nervous tensions that build up day after day as we strive for positions of power, influence and higher salaries?  There is nothing I know of that will better rejuvenate my body and soul than a good exhausting rock hunt or archeological expedition.

What is it about ESCONI that has perpetuated the the club and contributed to its fantastic growth original ideals of year after year?

Because of our accomplishments we enjoy top rating with schools, colleges, libraries, museums, state and national geological institutions, dealers, and our brother and sister clues.  We are friendly and democratic.  In this club there is no class distinction between members who perform all kinds of work from the most menial tasks to the so-called highest professions. I hope the time will never come when we become conscious of this so-called hierarchy.

Witness the "Junior Festival" where, after a year of intensive study in Earth Science our 300 enthusiastic young people put on a stupendous program relating to their years' progress.

Not only do we promote Junior activities, but also adult education and scientific knowledge.  For a club of this size it seems incredible that "Esconi Associates" could enlist enough people to sponsor the publication of that beautifully illustrated LANGFORD book on "The Wilmington Coal Flora".

In this club we have not so far previewed, interviewed, or challenged candidates desiring membership. we accept them with the understanding that they already know about our objectives, our ethics and our standards of good behavior.

We invite all of you to attend our 10th anniversary program and share in the festivities when we will honor our past presidents, speakers, and friends and exhibit the fruits of our past efforts.

Wilbur L. Hoff
President

 

Reminder: Rock and Fossil Garage Sale - Saturday, October 5th, 2019 #fossils #minerals #MazonCreek

There will be a sale of rocks and fossils from the collection of Dave and Sheila Bergmann on consecutive Saturday, October 5th, 2019 at 401 S. Lombard Ave, Lombard, IL from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Material for sale includes minerals and fossils in flats, as well as individual specimens. There will also be equipment, jewelry, and carvings along with some antiques, fishing equipment, lawn equipment and miscellaneous items.

 

UChicago: Fish story for the ages: High schooler unearths rare fossil #fossils @FieldMuseum

Field Museum preparator Tony Bellos holding the skull after removing the layer of rock covering it.  Courtesy of Lance Grande

The University of Chicago has a post about a recent Green River find.  A very interesting gar fish skull was found this summer by a high school student in Lance Grande's "Stones and Bones" program at the University of Chicago this last summer.  The specimen comes from a fish estimated to be 8 feet long!  It was prepared by ESCONI member Tony Bellos, who works as a fossil preparator at the Field Museum.

In the 16 years he’s led the program, Lance Grande of The Field Museum in Chicago has helped students make all sorts of discoveries in Wyoming’s Green River Formation. This 52-million-year-old site is one of the richest fossil localities in North America, and this summer, one of his students unearthed one of the program’s most remarkable fish finds.

In past years of the Stones and Bones program, a rare find might mean a four-foot-long turtle or a stingray skeleton, preserved for millions of years in ancient sediment. But this summer, a California high school student dug up something truly special: a perfect skull of a gar fish that would have been at least 8 feet long. The skull, has the outward appearance as that of a crocodile, contained hundreds of small teeth and rows of large fangs, enabling it to become one of the lake’s top predators.

“Every year we find many truly remarkable fossils, including species new to science or specimens like this indicating new information about the ancient ecosystem. All of what we find has not seen the light of day for 52 million years,” said Grande, the Negaunee Distinguished Service Curator at the Field Museum and the leading authority on the Green River Formation.

Lance Grande (left), the Negaunee Distinguished Service Curator at the Field Museum, and high school student Gabe Robinson examine the rock containing the gar skull fossil that Robinson found.  Photo by Freddy Tsao

 

The Forgotten Paleontologist: A Commentary by Keith Robitschek

The discovery:

Paleontological events are based on theory and evidence is required to prove that an event actually occurred.  Today, the event that occurred sixty-six million years ago at the Yucatan peninsula has been proven through scientific research based on core samples at the impact site and iridium analyses in the K-Pg boundary that was observed over much of the world.  For years paleontologists hunted for additional evidence of that occurrence, without success.  Computer modeling had shown the effects of the impact.  These results included a rain of a totally different kind - rain that included solidified molten glass particles called micro-tektites.  In 2012, a brilliant young, sometimes unorthodox, paleontologist was handed what could very likely be a paleontological “holy grail”...  actual confirmation for the impact event that killed the dinosaurs.  In North Dakota, in a formation, known as Hell Creek, a very special fossil site was found.  It is very rare to find whole fish in Hell Creek, let alone specimens with 3-dimensional preservation. To the amazement of this paleontologist, he also started found micro-tektites by the millions.  As he continued excavating, he started to find incredibly preserved delicate fossils of all kinds. Not only fish but trees, bones, eggs, teeth, fresh water fish, and marine based fossils.  It was a jumble of everything and anything you could think of.  In the lab, he found micro-tektites in the gills of the fish.  What did all this tell us?  It was evidence of an event that included a great flood and seismic sloshing.  This event occurred throughout the Western Interior Seaway of North America very near to the time of the K-Pg extinction event.  Researchers will be studying these fossils and their related evidence for decades. To learn more about this discovery go to the New Yorker at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-day-the-dinosaurs-died and the National Geographic at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/03/fossils-found-from-day-dinosaurs-died-chicxulub-tanis-cretaceous-extinction/.

Now the rest of the story:

The year is 2002 and in the Hell Creek formation of North Dakota, a fossil prospecting company, its team members, and its guests are prospecting a ranch which they had been going to on and off for 25 years.  The lead guide came upon ceratopsian bones and documents the locality.  Because of poor timing, the site remained untouched until 2008.  Upon returning to the site, a sturgeon skull with remarkable ornamentation was found by one of the team members. The site was first to be known as the “Fish Site” and later called “Tanis”.  Sites are giving names to make them easily referenced.

After evaluating the site further, it was decided to remove two large sections of matrix. This was done in 2009 by a large group of which included students from Gainesville State College. The matrix was encased in a plaster-like matrix.  In this case, the jacket consisted of a fiberglass mat dipped in White Hydrocal (a form of plaster like cement). The team dug around the matrix forming a ditch and then undercut the matrix forming a pedestal.  Once the matrix top and sides were jacketed, the pedestal was cut and the underside was jacketed.  Jacketed fossils usually don’t get opened until the prospecting season comes to a close.  In the high desert like that of the Dakotas, the season can end in early fall.  Only then was the importance of a site actually determined.  What was found was almost like opening a can of sardines, with mummified fish stacked side by side like cords of wood.  In 2010, both jackets were delivered to Dr. Lance Grande, Curator, Fossil Fishes of the Field Museum in Chicago.

In 2010, a large excavation team which included Gainesville State students returned to the site and attempted to remove another piece of jacketed matrix. A smaller jacket was eventually sent to the Denver Museum of Natural History.  So, who were these forgotten Paleontologists?  None other than our own Rob Sula, former First Vice-President of ESCONI, who initially found the first fossils at the site in 2002 and Paleo Prospectors owner Doctor Steve Nicklas.  Dr. Steve Nicklas found the first articulated sturgeon and determined the fossil producing layer. In 2012, Paleo Prospectors made a hand shake agreement to offer the site to Robert De Palma who previously worked a fossil fish site in the Hell Creek.

Documents relating to this site reflect Robert’s opinion about for-profit prospecting companies.  Paleo Prospectors don’t fully fit in his paleontological worldview. They have donated over 20 dinosaur and mosasaur skeleton specimens to grade schools, high schools, colleges, and other institutions.  They have also donated hundreds of fossils to various institutions including the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and The Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago.  Crucial to this story, Paleo Prospectors has arraigned full access for professional paleontologists to other important sites that they discovered.  One example being the “Licking Leaf Site”, which was offered to Kirk Johnson what was at the time Director of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  Kirk is now the Director of the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum.  Kirk and his students worked that site for many years.  Hundreds of specimens were collected and numerous new species of plants were discovered. The following are example of two of the specimens that were donated to Hillsdale College.

I have been a guest of Paleo Prospectors for several years now and have seen the site. Every site has boundaries and rules are defined and pointed out before we ever get to step onto a site. Rules like “don’t go beyond that fence it is not the ranches land, BLM land is there (Bureau of Land Management, does not allow vertebrate fossil collecting), and don’t go near it or across it because this site is closed for academic research due to its significance”.  When I learned that the site Robert De Palma was referring to was the same site discovered by Steve and his team, with no acknowledgement, just misrepresentation, I had to speak out and let “The Truth” be known.  It’s sad to say that all fields have a good side and a bad side.  Well done, Paleo Prospectors, you did the right thing, made an incredible contribution to science possible, and I hope more people know that now.

Lesson Learned:

In the past, a hand shake was a person’s bond.  What was said and agreed to was an unwritten contract.  I too have had the disappointment that a hand shake-based contract would not come
to fruition. Today to get the recognition due, we must get all agreements in writing and take pictures of the item(s) donated or exchanged. Sad to say, we must protect the honor of ours words with physical evidence in any agreement.

Conclusion:

In life, we always have at least 3 truths; “His Truth”, “Their Truth” and “The Truth”.  It is the obligation and responsibility of true science and the true scientist to support without personal bias “The Truth”.  Without cooperation and collaboration of the academic paleontologists, the discoveries of paleontological businessman and amateur paleontologists will never come to light.  Personal bias in science is bad science.  All we want as contributors to science is recognition due for our contributions.  I hope some day I will be one of those making such a contribution!

South Suburban Earth Science Club Fossil, Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show - October 19th and 20th, 2019 #fossils #gems #minerals

 

The Prairie State College (PSC) Natural Science Department is hosting the South Suburban Earth Science Club Fossil, Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19th and 20th, in the Prairie Center Gym on PSC's main campus at 202 S. Halsted St. in Chicago Heights.

The event is co-sponsored by the South Suburban Earth Science Club (SSESC).

The annual show is an opportunity for gem and fossil enthusiasts to meet the experts, get a close look at the latest finds, learn about the geological history of the area, and purchase rare gems, fossils and artifacts. Exhibits will include fossils from Mazon Creek and Thornton Quarry, minerals, jewelry, lapidary, crystals, artifacts and Illinois meteorites. Additionally, Joel Knapper, NASA ambassador, will make a special presentation about Pluto on Sunday, Oct. 18.

"I am always amazed at the spectacular fossils and mineral specimens that are available at this show - everything from dinosaur bone to emeralds in one-of a kind settings," said PSC Associate Professor of Earth Science Lee Anne Burrough. "It's a great place to get questions answered about a rock you found and provides a unique opportunity to add some spectacular fossils and rocks to your collection at really reasonable prices."

The family-friendly event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Burrough at lburrough@prairiestate.edu or (708) 709-3674, or Daniel Bolm at (708) 821-3674 or danielbolm096@gmail.com.

PBS Eons: When Giant Lemurs Ruled Madagascar @EonsShow #lemurs

 

PBS Eons has a new episode.  It is about the history of lemurs on Madagascar.  How did they get there?  In what ways did they evolve?  What happened to the giants?

Just a few thousand years ago, the island of Madagascar was inhabited by giant lemurs. How did such a diverse group of primates evolve in the first place, and how did they help shape the unique environments of Madagascar? And how did they get winnowed down, leaving only their smaller relatives behind?

Reminder: Rock and Fossil Garage Sale - Saturday, September 28th, 2019 #fossils #minerals #MazonCreek

There will be a sale of rocks and fossils from the collection of Dave and Sheila Bergmann on consecutive Saturday 28th, 2019 at 401 S. Lombard Ave, Lombard, IL from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Material for sale includes minerals and fossils in flats, as well as individual specimens. There will also be equipment, jewelry, and carvings along with some antiques, fishing equipment, lawn equipment and miscellaneous items.

 

ESCONI Flashback Friday #20: ESCONI Class Song from 1967

As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #20.  If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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Here is a song composed by some ESCONI members way back in 1967.  The lyrics are by June Lyon Douglass.  It should be sung to the tune of "Chicago".

ESCONI, ESCONI, That Go Happy Group!

ESCONI, ESCONI, I'll Give You The Scoop!!

Believe Me, You Will Never Find Any -

Club Of Its Kine in the Na-tion, The Na-tion

The Mem-bers There Are Way Be-yond Compare!

No Pho-nies, No Cro-nies, But Just Regular Folks

With Ham-mers And Chis-els And Jokes!!

You'll Have The Time, The Time - Of Your Life...

You'll Ev-en Have Fun In The Field With Your Wife!!

IN ES-CO-NI, ES-CO-NI - That's My Club.

Reminder: Rock and Fossil Garage Sale - Saturday, September 28th, 2019 #fossils #minerals #MazonCreek

There will be a sale of rocks and fossils from the collection of Dave and Sheila Bergmann on consecutive Saturdays, September 21^st and 28th, 2019 at 401 S. Lombard Ave, Lombard, IL from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Material for sale includes minerals and fossils in flats, as well as individual specimens. There will also be equipment, jewelry, and carvings along with some antiques, fishing equipment, lawn equipment and miscellaneous items.

 

ESCONI Field Trip to the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University October 26th, 2019

There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University at 10 AM on October 26, 2019. The museum is located in the Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

1. We are limited to a group of 20.
2. No age limit – families are welcome.
3. There is no cost for the trip.
4. We will have a guided tour of the museum with emphasis on geology, paleontology and archeology. They will also bring specimens that are not currently on display out for us to view.
5. Everyone in your group must be a member of ESCONI. No dues will be accepted on the trip, so have your membership status resolved before then.
6. Registration is required. Sign up by sending me (Dave) an email with your name and the number of members attending. No phone calls please. My email is fossil54@att.net

A map of the Benedictine campus can be found at http://www.ben.edu/map.cfm.  I will find out where we can park.

 

ESCONI October Paleontology Study Group Meeting October 19th, 2019 - Waves, Winds, and Tides: Fossil Collecting on the West Dorset Coast of Southern England @LymeRegisMuseum @MaryAnningRocks

Waves, Winds, and Tides: Fossil Collecting on the West Dorset Coast of Southern England.

Presentation by: Andrew Young, with Marie Angkuw, Jann Bergsten, Rhonda Gates, and Deborah Lovely.

For the last several years, a group of ESCONI members have traveled to England in winter to collect fossils on its famous Jurassic Coast. Contrary to the time of year when vacationers typically hit the beaches looking for calm water and sunny skies, these enthusiasts plan their adventures precisely when the weather promises to be most violent and the tides most dramatic. It is when the fragile cliffs along the shoreline are fast-eroding from surf action that the incredible geologic history of the place is in best view.

Low tide on Charmouth Beach with Golden Cap in the distance, the highest point on the southern coast of Great Britain.

Twice now, our intrepid explorers have delivered ESCONI club presentations on Lyme Regis and its surroundings. They have covered the town’s fascinating and centuries-old religious, economic, and industrial history, the accomplishments of its most famous citizen – paleontologist Mary Anning – as well as their own experiences combing the beaches for fossil treasures. Their excitement for these trips is truly contagious.

Newly found pyritized Echioceras sp. ammonite on Charmouth Beach.

This past February, I was invited to join the expedition and it proved to be even more remarkable than any photo can capture. Though familiar beaches and fossil shops were revisited, this trip expanded to new locations and introductions with locals whose addiction and knowledge about collecting in the area were most helpful to us. It was really an evolution of discovery: new techniques of searching, new species found, and new relationships with similarly passionate people, all of which build on previous visits.

Rhonda Gates, Jann Bergsten, and Marie Angkuw at Seatown Beach.

On Saturday, October 19^th, at the ESCONI Paleo Group Meeting, I will lead a slide show presentation about this recent collecting adventure. Marie Angkuw, Jann Bergsten, Rhonda Gates, and Deborah Lovely will be present to contribute their stories and perspectives as we discuss what we’ve learned about collecting at the edge of an ocean, what we found, and the richness of the landscape overall. We’ll also bring our specimens for show-and-tell. Please join us for an exciting evening of further exploring the Jurassic Coast of southern England.

- Andrew Young

A large, water-worn ammonite in matrix at Monmouth Beach, Lyme Regis.

SciAm: Pterosaurs Were Monsters of the Mesozoic Skies #pterosaurs

Scientific American has an article about pterosaurs.  It seems that they not the birds, which are dinosaurs, ruled the skies.  Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight.  They ranged in size from the size of a small plane to the size of a modern sparrow.  Many had heads larger than their bodies... they were, in essence, flying jaws of death!

Unlike dinosaurs, which are survived today by birds, pterosaurs left behind no living descendants. As a result, all that paleontologists know about pterosaurs comes from the fossil record. And that record has been frustratingly fragmentary, leaving us with just a glimmer of their former glory and a host of questions about their bizarre anatomy and ill fate. Paleontologists have scratched their heads over these mysteries for decades. Now new fossil discoveries, combined with mathematical modeling methods in which anatomical structures are simplified just enough that equations of physical properties can be applied to get best estimates of strength, weight, speed, and so forth, are finally generating insights. And what scientists are finding is that pterosaurs were even more extraordinary than we ever imagined.

Roy Plotnick: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang #ecology #extinction

Echo Lake, NH. Photo by Deb Stewart

Roy Plotnick has an insightful post over on Medium.  It's about the 6th mass extinction.  News flash, just in case you've been hiding in a hole somewhere, it's happening now.  He is commenting on a recent paper in the journal science.

This past summer, my wife and I took a lovely walk around Echo Lake in New Hampshire. What struck us, and we mentioned to a ranger, was the dearth of bird song. Despite the general solitude, all we heard was an occasional song in the distance. The only birds we saw were some ducks in the lake. Earlier this summer, we were in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. We could not help but notice the huge number of dead and dying trees. Back home near Chicago, it is difficult to ignore the decline in the number of insects. In years past, insects of all kinds would gather around our back-porch light at night. Now there seem to be but a few. This is despite our newly established native plantings.

ESCONI Field Trip Report - Braceville Fall 2019, #fossils #MazonCreek

The Fall 2019 trip to Braceville was on September 14th and 15th this year.  The weather was great on Saturday, maybe a little hot for digging.   On Sunday, the day started out wet, with a steady down pour in early morning, but a few hardy souls went in right from the beginning!  It was two good days of fossil collecting, renewing old friendships, and making some new friends.  It may take a little while with the freeze/thaw preparation, but hopefully, we'll all come away with some awesome new fossils for our collections!

With all the rain we have had this year, the path in got pretty overgrown this year.

There were some wet areas and they really turned to mud on Sunday.  Here is a little video summary of the trip.

A lunch time selfie...

We did this customary dump of fossils on both Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

There was a special visitor on Saturday...  A caterpillar from an Imperial Moth was found.

Here are various picture from the 2 days of fossil fun!

Reminder: Rock and Fossil Garage Sale - Saturday, September 21st and September 28th, 2019 #fossils #minerals #MazonCreek

There will be a sale of rocks and fossils from the collection of Dave and Sheila Bergmann on consecutive Saturdays, September 21^st and 28th, 2019 at 401 S. Lombard Ave, Lombard, IL from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Material for sale includes minerals and fossils in flats, as well as individual specimens. There will also be equipment, jewelry, and carvings along with some antiques, fishing equipment, lawn equipment and miscellaneous items.

 

ESCONI Flashback Friday #20: Jack Wittry Presents at the September 2009 General Meeting By Andrew Young #MazonCreek #fossils #fossilfriday

As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #19.  If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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Jack Wittry gave a lecture entitled "Antediluvian Phytology" on Friday, September 11th, 2009.  It was about the Mazon Creek fossil flora.  The definitive reference book on the subject, The Mazon Creek Fossil Flora, had been published a few years prior in 2006.  That book was authored by Jack and published by ESCONI.  This lecture summarized much of the information in the book.  Since then, an animal book called "The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna" was published in 2012 and was also authored by Jack.  Currently, an updated fossil flora book entitled "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek" will be published later this year.  These books represent years of work and are essential to understanding the Mazon Creek fossil biota.  Congratulations, Jack!  We are all excited to see this essential addition to a Mazon Creek collector's library!

There was certainly a back-to-school atmosphere at the General Meeting last Friday, with attending members full of stories and finds after the club’s summer recess. As people paraded into the classroom, many had cardboard trays, specimen cases or plastic bags carrying carefully split fossil concretions pertaining to that evening’s lecture topic. After some special announcements, Jack Wittry, author of the beautiful and informative book entitled, The Mazon Creek Fossil Flora, presented a standing-room only talk on his specialty. Not only was his delivery and organization clear – making sense of the, often time, fragmented evidence of the fossil record – but he cleverly introduced his hypothesis of events in the area with published material from over 150 years ago.

Edmund Tyrell Artis titled his first printed and illustrated treatment of prehistoric flora, Antediluvian Phytology, with an obvious Biblical reference meaning, “before the flood.” As all Mazon Creek enthusiasts know, it is the classic scenario of rapid burial that has brought us the splendid phenomenon and preservations within siderite concretions. It has been supposed from early on that nodules existing under many layers of chemically consistent sediment – in places, 60 feet of it – indicate a dramatic, one might say, cataclysmic event.

Reconstruction of prehistoric plants and ecosystems is a puzzle game of many pieces. Mr. Wittry methodically and comprehensibly brought the captive audience through the six general groups of plant life found in the fossil record of Mazon Creek, a Pennsylvanian Period landscape. Sometimes disparate parts of a single plant species can be assigned to entirely different genera by form, and some remain in basket categories with no biologicallyspecific assignment at all. It took Mr. Wittry to help this student of fossil flora to fully understand the leaf- (seed)-bark-root relationships, establishing a more certain diversity in each of the “form-taxa,” as well as the relative distribution of these plants and their heights, in wetter or drier climes.

North central Illinois was nearly equatorial 300 million-years ago, plus or minus about ten degrees. Bordered by shallow brackish bays and river systems, the swamps and forests lived in longer years and over shorter days, with an oxygen content nearly 50% greater than it is today. By the evidence of deeply laid silt (now shale), and the preservation of sometimes complete vertical trunks of scale trees, we can begin to comprehend the enormity of the flooding event of that time. For the fact that some true fern species were represented in the fossil record almost entirely in a fertile form, and others were not at all, seems to indicate a relatively thin slice of time in the course of the plants’ destruction, redistribution and burial. Mr. Wittry theorized that it must have been a matter of weeks, not months or years, and the fossil record a virtual “snapshot” of life at that time. And, just as remarkably, we now know that the age of this momentous occurrence is 307 million years.

After the lecture, the audience had numerous questions to which Mr. Wittry gave careful attention. Many of the visitors brought their own Mazon Creek discoveries, seeking expert identification for the species, as well as validation, I suppose, as a true participant in this bounty of information and beautiful preservations. I felt a sense of privilege among the exhibitors and storytellers, those of us who jockey and lift ourselves to gaze into that window of Illinois so many years ago, and the consequence of a flood in that time of near-biblical proportions.

To see more images from the General Meeting, or new pictures from Lonestar Quarry (2008) go to Photo Albums in the left column of the ESCONI website, www.esconi.org.

PBS Eons: How Pterosaurs Got Their Wings @EonsShow

 

PBS Eons has another episode.  This one is about the origins of pterosaurs.  Although the evidence is pretty sparse, we aren't sure of their ancestors.  Scleromochlus, or something like it, is a likely candidate.  Watch the episode for more details...

When pterosaurs first took flight, you could say that it marked the beginning of the end for the winged reptiles. Because, strangely enough, the power of flight -- and the changes that it led to -- may have ultimately led to their downfall.

 

New Jurassic World Short Shows Just How Screwed the Humans Are Now #dinosaurs #JurassicWorld

 

Gizmodo has a piece about the new Jurassic World short "Battle at Big Rock".  Check it out!

The Jurassic Park/World franchise has long flirted with the idea that humanity’s hubris in reviving dino-kind would inevitably lead to said dinosaurs wreaking havoc on the whole world, not just a remote island park and/or research facility. Now, in the wake of Fallen Kingdom’s set up, a new short finally delivers on the idea of humanity dealing with the consequences of its actions.

Rock and Fossil Garage Sale - Saturday, September 21st and September 28th, 2019 #fossils #minerals #MazonCreek

There will be a sale of rocks and fossils from the collection of Dave and Sheila Bergmann on consecutive Saturdays, September 21^st and 28th, 2019 at 401 S. Lombard Ave, Lombard, IL from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Material for sale includes minerals and fossils in flats, as well as individual specimens. There will also be equipment, jewelry, and carvings along with some antiques, fishing equipment, lawn equipment and miscellaneous items.

 

ESCONI Field Trip To St. Paul Quarry, in St. Paul, IN - October 25th, 2019

There will be a field trip to St. Paul Quarry (Silurian; Waldron Shale) on Friday, October 25th, 2019.  Please note: the date is subject to the Quarry's work schedule and may be moved or canceled.  You must be a member of ESCONI on or before Friday, October 11th, 2019 to attend.

1. The trip is from 9:00 am to around 3:00 pm Eastern time.
2. We need to meet at the Office at 8:45 Eastern time to sign release forms.
3. Hard hats are required as are sturdy shoes/boots. NO street shoes, sandals, or sneakers. Please review the Code of Ethics and Conduct on the ESCONI website.
4. Safety vest is encouraged as are safety glasses.
5. The minimum age to attend this trip is 18 years old.
6. You must be a paid member on or before October 11, the ESCONI General meeting.
7. We are limited to 20 participants.
8. Sign up with John Catalani at Fossilnautiloid@aol.com.
9. Since it has happened in the past that the quarry has cancelled the field trip, e-mails are required in case participants need to be contacted. 

The quarry address is: 519 S. County Line Rd, St. Paul, IN 47272 (map).  Their website is: https://newpointstone.com/st-paul/.

 

Please email John Catalani at fossilnautiloid@aol.com to sign up for the trip.  No phone calls.

Palaeocast Episode 103: Terror birds @Palaeocast #fossils #dinosaurs

A new episode of Palaeocast is out.  This one is about Terror birds.  These are large flightless birds that evolved after the K-Pg extinction event.  They originated in South America and migrated up to North America when the Isthmus of Panana formed almost 3 million years ago.  Personally, I've always found these animals fascinating!

Terror birds, or phorusrhacids as they are known scientifically, are a group of large, flightless birds that lived during the Cenozoic, and truly lived up to their name. Known for their large, powerful skulls, and enormous beaks, these birds are unlike the flightless birds we have alive today. Despite their strange appearance and unique morphology, terror birds aren’t well known in popular culture. What were they doing? How big did they get? What did they eat?

In this episode, we talk to a leading terror bird expert, Dr Federico “Dino” Degrange from the Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA) in Córdoba, Argentina to get answers to these questions. We discuss some of his recent research, and what we know (and don’t know) about phorusrhacids today.