Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Geological Map of America

Nice map.

Postal clerk moonlights in paleontology

Via the Wyoming Trib:

.... His paleontology is just a hobby but a really big one. Part of his collection is in the Rockpile Museum while the rest of it has overwhelmed the house where he lives with his wife, along with his collection of books, DVDs and star-gazing equipment.

"I have some (fossils) in the addition, a few the carport, the porch has got a few, they're a little bit of everywhere," he said. "But (my wife) doesn't mind. She's got her candles, the scented candles that she makes all over the house, too."...

Columbia Meterorite Crash Site

Via Columbia Reports:

Despite a 1,000-strong search team and a police helicopter looking for the remains of a giant fireball seen in the skies of central Colombia, authorities have been unable to locate the supposed meteorite's crash site.

Local events of interest this weekend, 2010

Friday, September 17, 7:00 pm - Elgin Public Museum, Elgin, IL, Lecture - "Archaeology of Disaster." Fire, flood, famine, war, plague, earthquake . . . All major disasters leave distinctive signatures in the archaeological record. From the New Madrid quakes of 1811 and 1812 that changed the very course of the Mississippi River, to the Great Flood of 1993, Illinoisans are adapting today to events that have a history long beyond living memory.  In this presentation, archeologist Gregory Vogel explains the prehistory and history of these events in the archeological record and explores with the audience the lessons they may hold for us today. There is limited seating, so call for reservations-847-741-6655. Free thanks to the Illinois Humanities Council’s Roads Scholar Speakers program.

Saturday, September, 18, 2:00 pm - Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Lecture - "The Dinosaurs of Hell Creek: A Biological Arms Race." Elmhurst Il, 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. Lecture – Ages 8 yrs. and up - Regular Museum Admission, Museum Members Free, Reservations recommended

Saturday, September 18, 7:30 p.m. ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting. College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 161. Will be photographing Problematica ... Tullys... Show and Tell from summer too.

Exploring Energy: Earth Science Activity Calendar 2010-11 School Year

The Earth Science Week 2010-11 Activity Calendar extends the celebration from one week to the whole school year! Distributed as part of the Earth Science Week 2010 Toolkit, this attractive wall calendar features an exciting classroom activity each month. The publication also provides information about "Exploring Energy" activities, career opportunities, geoscience happenings, important dates in history, event participation tips, and links to resources on the Web.

No Child Left Inside Day 10/12

AGI’s (American Geology Institute) NCLI (No Child Left Inside Day) Guide provides everything you need to start planning your own NCLI Day event. The free guide provides 10 outdoor activities you can organize to help students discover Earth science in their own neighborhoods. Also included are recommendations for creating partnerships, planning logistics, reaching out to the local media, and following up in the classroom.

Plan your NCLI Day event for Tuesday, October 12, during Earth Science Week 2010, when educators and young people across the country will be wading into creeks, climbing hills, and searching the skies to learn Earth science.

Archaeologist Claims Find of Odysseus' Home

Via Rianovosti:

A Greek archeologist has claimed to have unearthed the palace of the legendary Odysseus on the island of Ithaca in the Ionian Sea.

Thanasis Papadopulos, who has been carrying out excavations on the Greek hero's home island for 16 years, said he had discovered the remains of a three-storey palace and a well, which date back to the 13th century BC, which is when the Trojan war, described in Homer's Iliad, is believed to have taken place....

The North American Craton Sits on Top

Via Science Digest:

The North American continent is not one thick, rigid slab, but a layer cake of ancient, 3 billion-year-old rock on top of much newer material probably less than 1 billion years old, according to a new study by seismologists at the University of California, Berkeley.The finding, which is reported in the Aug. 26 issue of Nature, explains inconsistencies arising from new seismic techniques being used to explore the interior of the Earth, and illuminates the mystery of how the Earth's continents formed....

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.

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.

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 - 9/18/2010 - 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 [email protected]