Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

New Egyptian Tomb Find

... Archeologists have unearthed 57 ancient Egyptian tombs, most of which hold an ornately painted wooden sarcophagus with a mummy inside, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said Sunday.

The oldest tombs date back to around 2750 B.C. during the period of Egypt's first and second dynasties, the council said in a statement. Twelve of the tombs belong the 18th dynasty which ruled Egypt during the second millennium B.C..... more...

Fossil Find Resolves Mystery

Via BBC:

...Professor Briggs explained: "[These specimens have] shown that some of the organisms that we thought were exclusive to Cambrian actually persisted until the Ordovician."...

Mineral Pictures

Nice collection of mineral pictures.

5/28 Board Meeting Rescheduled for Friday June 4

ESCONI Board Meeting, 7:30 College of Dupage, Building K, Rm. 131 is the rescheduled date instead of 5/28.

Greenland Rising 1 Inch Per Year

Via Geology.com

The ice that covers Greenland is melting reducing the weight of the landmass. As that happens the crust rises in response to the reduced weight. In some areas the rate of rise is an inch per year. It is amazing that climate change can result in the uplift of a landmass....

Grants for Deep Geology in Ohio

Via Farm and Dairy:

With likely federal regulation of carbon dioxide emissions on the horizon, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority took action at its May meeting to advance the state’s understanding of the suitability of its deep geology for the sequestration of CO2....

OAQDA approved a grant from its Ohio Coal Development Office program for Battelle of up to $2,209,409 and a separate OCDO grant to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources of up to $790,591.

The funds are to be used for the 18-month project Conducting Research to Better Define the Sequestration Options in Eastern Ohio and the Appalachian Basin.

Wheaton College Mastadon on 5/27

The Wheaton College mastadon is on the move... watch out!

Underwater Archaeology in Outer Banks

Via National Parks Traveler: Where is the rest of the original English settlement site on Roanoke Island?

Earth History Univ Level Education for Grade 10-12

Northwestern University is offering a unique opportunity for academically talented students in grades 10 through 12 to obtain university credit before they even leave high school!  Gifted LearningLinks provides qualified high school students with an online science course taught by Northwestern University professor, Adam Murphy, PhD.  This exciting online 12-week course offers gifted students the challenge of studying Climate Catastrophes in Earth History.  By devoting 6 to 8 hours per week, students will study how the climate system really works. This course is offered in the fall, concurrent with the Northwestern University calendar.  A tuition fee of $2,500 is required.

Visit http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/gll/courses/universitycredit/ for more information!

Chicagoland Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show this Weekend!

Chicagoland's GEM, MINERAL & FOSSIL SHOW (CGMA)

(34th Year)

 

A Family Friendly Show

 

2010 Memorial Day Weekend

 

Demonstrations, Children's Rock Area, Educational Exhibits, Programs, Dealers, Lapidary Arts, Jewelry Exhibits, Faceting, Cabochon Cutting, Polishing Gemstones, Silversmithing, Beading, Wire Wrapping, Geode Splitting, Special Youth Activities and Programs 

 

Fossils   -   Minerals    -   Gems   -   Jewelry  

 

Free Parking

 

Saturday, May 29, 2010 10am - 6pm

Sunday, May 30, 2010  10am - 5pm

DuPage County Fairgrounds

2015 W. Manchester Rd.

Wheaton, IL

Adults - $5.00:Students (13-17) - $3.00

Seniors- $3.00 Children (Under 13) Free

We are looking for volunteers for the Chicagoland Gem and Mineral 2010 show.

5/29-5/30 Saturday and Sunday helping during show

5/30 Sunday after 5:00 pm - take down show

Call John to sign up -630-483-2363.

Events This Weekend 5/22-23/2010

Sunday, 5/23 - Mazon Creek Area Boat Trip to Pit 11. Cost: $25/person, Children 12 or younger - $15. The first boat will leave the dock at 9:00 am. Children 9 years or younger are allowed by pre-permission. Closing date to sign up - May 8. Call Richard Rock for more information, questions and permissions... at (815) 476-7040.

Animals Living Without Oxygen

Via Science:

Scientists have found the first multicellular animals that apparently live entirely without oxygen. The creatures reside deep in one of the harshest environments on earth: the Mediterranean Ocean's L'Atalante basin, which contains salt brine so dense that it doesn't mix with the oxygen-containing waters above.

Mineral of the Month

GAUDEFROYITE

Ca₄Mn³⁺_3-x(BO₃)₃(CO₃)(O,OH)₃

 

  Gaudefroyite (black), barite, andradite from KMF.

specimen and photo – J de Jongh

 

 

Crystal system: Hexagonal      Hardness:  6     Density:  3.35 – 3.50      Cleavage:  None, brittle.

Streak:  Brown                Colour:     Black, charcoal, bronze

Occurrence:                  An uncommon hydrothermal mineral in manganese deposits.

Habitat:                         Needle-like to stubby hexagonal crystals up to 5 cm long, with pyramidal terminations.

Composition:                Borate comprising of calcium, manganese, boron, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.

 

The Tsumeb mine in Namibia is famous for its variety of green minerals that are difficult to distinguish from one another.  Likewise, the Kalahari Manganese Field near Kuruman, is well known for its various black minerals that can also be very tricky to identify accurately.  One such mineral is gaudefroyite.  Unfortunately, fairly limited information is available on this rare mineral.  In the early 1960s Pascal Gallo, chief miner at the manganese mine at Tachgagalt 17 km (some sources indicate 17 miles) south-southwest of Quarzazate, Morocco, noticed an association of unusual minerals in Vein No. 2 of the mine.  He presented a specimen of the material to Georges Jouravsky, chief geologist, “Division de la Geologie du Maroc”, who in turn passed it along to Abbe Christophe Gaudefroy (1888-1971), a French mineralogist who worked in Morocco.  Marokite was the first new mineral to be described from this mine.  Soon thereafter gaudefroyite, named after the abovementioned French mineralogist, was identified in 1964 from a sample apparently found on the dumps of the same mine.

 

The Kalahari Manganese Field is only the second reported occurrence in the world of this rare mineral.  It was discovered in the early 1990s at N’Chwaning II and Wessels mines.  Not only was it found as the best crystals, but also as the biggest crystals of the species in the world. 

 

Underground, the black crystals of gaudefroyite are difficult to distinguish from the manganese ore.  It is also often mistaken for vesuvianite from the Wessels mine.  Of interest to mineral collectors are those crystals up to 5 cm long and 1,5 cm in diameter, pitch black and in many cases doubly terminated, with well developed pyramidal faces which came from the N’Chwaning II mine in 1995.  The majority of these crystals were floaters or embedded in gypsum or calcite. 

 Associated minerals are sturmanite, calcite, hematite, andradite, todorokite, bixbyite, chlorite and barite.  Fine needle-like gaudefroyite from N’Chwaning II have been reported, occurring as cavity fillings in hausmannite.  These needles, only a few mm long, are bronze in colour.

Article posted with permission from Cape Town Gem & Mineral Club

Home Built Inside a Cave

Photos of living in a cave...

Anthropocene - The New Epoch?

Via The Telegraph:

... The new epoch, called the Anthropocene – meaning new man – would be the first period of geological time shaped by the action of a single species.

Although the term has been in informal use among scientists for more than a decade, it is now under consideration as an official term....

I Million Feet Drill Core Analyzed

Via Duluth News:

... On March 11, Mark Severson completed the visual analysis of 1 million feet of drill core with copper-nickel-platinum group element mineralization. Severson is a geologist at the Natural Resources Research Institute, at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and he began this task in 1987...

... Severson’s documentation helps mineral exploration companies understand the geology of this area of Minnesota, as well as the copper, nickel, platinum group element mineralization and other mineral deposits. This information is the backbone of the state’s evolving non-ferrous mining industry.

Possible New Diamond Mine in Canada

Via Globe and Mail:

Stornoway Diamonds has what it thinks is a major find in Northern Quebec. The task now is to convince investors to buy in...

Chicago Paleontologist Mention in Trib Opinion Piece

Some interesting historical blurbs about famous Chicagoans who bloomed a little later, including Paul Sereno.

Fossil Trade Offer - US Specimens from IL, IN, FL, NC, UT, OR

Don, an ESCONI member, posted about his interest in doing some fossil trading on the ESCONI Yahoo Discussion Group:

... As an avid fossil collector, I have recently posted various fossils for sale on ebay under the user name blowfly2. However, I am also willing to TRADE any of these fossils listed for others from the US or other parts of the world to enhance my collection...

... Just email me what interests you, what you have to offer, and if the item has no bids, I will close the auction and hold it for you. I cannot close an auction that has bids, so the sooner you reply with a trade interest, the better. Please send a description of what you have to offer with pics if possible, and what you what in trade.

If interested, please visit the list at http://shop. ebay.com/ blowfly2/ m.html?_dmd= 1&_ipg=50& _sop=12&_ rdc=1...

Events This Weekend 5/14-16

Friday, 5/14, ESCONI General Meeting. Dr. Lindsay Zanno, of the Field Museum, will speak on, "Fight For Survival Asian immigrants and the Dinosaurs of the American West.", at the ESCONI General Meeting at 8:00 p.m. College of Dupage Building K, Room #131.

The Early Cretaceous was a time of turmoil across the American West.  Titan-lizards (sauropods) and giant predators (allosaurs) thundered across the landscape as they had for millions of years, yet their reign was drawing to a close.  At the same time, a wave of new dinosaur forms emigrating from Asia was about to hit North America and change the landscape forever.  Join Field Museum Paleontologist Dr. Lindsay Zanno for a discussion about her latest dinosaur expedition to uncover new Cretaceous dinosaurs from the American West and what these discoveries are teaching us about how the dinosaurs from these two great continents clashed here in North America and who survived the confrontation.  

Sat. 5/15, Braceville—Mazon Creek Fossils. Free. 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

Sat 5/15  Miner Safety Training / Paleo Meeting  6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at COD - Rm 161. The cost will be $10 for each ESCONI Member payable at the door to John McArdle.

We are offering  Miner Safety Certification Training.  John McArdle of ZRS (Zoological Research Services) is approved to offer Miner Safety Certification Training and issue certificates. He will  teach the course.

This involves a formal presentation based on a 250 page book, followed by a formal test that must be passed to receive a certificate.  The training takes three (3) hours with a break. 

Reservations recommended due to ordering certificates in advance.  Contact John Good at 630-483-2363 for reservations or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com.

Sun. 5/16, Braceville—Mazon Creek Fossils. Free. 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.