Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Members, Are You Displaying Some of Your Collection At Show?

If you are displaying some of your collections at the show, be sure to reserve the cases you need - just give John Good a call at 630-483-2363.

Events for March 2013

Sat & Sun 3/16 & 3/17	ESCONI Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show *Note new location! Dupage Country Fairgrounds, Home Economics Building, Wheaton, Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm Free Admission and Parking Dealers Geode Splitter Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Displays Books and Magazines Kiddie Korner Demonstrations Silent Auction Live Auction Displays from the Field Museum and the Lizzaro Museum
Sat 3/16	Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Rock and Mineral Identification, 10:30 a.m., ages 8 to adult, Reservations Required (630) 833-1616.
Sat 3/22	ESCONI Board Meeting. 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, Tech Ed Build. TEC 1038B  (Map)
Sat 3/23	Archaeology Study Group Meeting. 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, - Tech Ed Building (TEC), Room 1038B (Map) Topic: Asiatic Echoes: The Identification of Chinese Pictograms in North American Rock Writing by ESCONI member, Dr John Ruskamp
Sat 3/23	Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Mazon Creek Fossil Collecting Field Trip. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ages 8 to adult, Reservations Required (630) 833-1616.
	** Coming Soon! ESCONI Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, March 16-17, Dupage County Fairgrounds *** See complete 2013 Calendar

Biomolecules in Mississippian crinoids

From Dave over at the ESCONI Discussion Group:

Info here:

http://www.scienced aily.com/ releases/ 2013/02/13021816 4130.htm

Abstract here:

http://geology. gsapubs.org/ content/early/ 2013/01/17/ G33792.1

Notable because it is the oldest occurrence on record, but hardly a surprise. Gastropods from Lone Star (Pennsylvanian, Missourian) are known to retain shell color patterns most likely due to porphyrins, another biomolecule.

Dave

Please Distribute Show Flyer for ECONI March Show

The ESCONI Show is in a new location (Dupage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton, IL), so we need all the help we can get to get the word out about the new location for this year's show.

Please distribute the ESCONI show flyer in your community in the next week ~

Ideas include, giving the show flyer to -

• library to put on their announcement board
• K-12 teachers whom you know may want to assign the show as extra credit
• scouting leaders whom you know who have boy and girl scouts wanting to work on their earth science badges
• friends who share your interest in fossil hunting, mineral collecting, jewelry making...

( Click here to download flyer in .pdf format)

 

 

 

Report of CO2 Gusher from Granite

Via geology.com from Arizona Geology:

Kinder Morgan hit an unexpected 'gusher' of carbon dioxide reportedly from fractures in granite in the St. John's CO2-helium field in eastern Arizona....

 

68,000 Record of Climate Change

Via geology.com:

A team of U.S. ice-coring scientists and engineers in Antarctica, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has recovered from the ice sheet a record of past climate and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that extends back 68,000 years....

R/V Sikuliaq - Newest Arctic Research Vessel

Archaeology Study Groups Sat 2/23 and Sun 2/24

Eric Schmidt, the study group leader for the ESCONI Archaeology Study Group, recently updated our club about the Chicago Archaeological Society and their activities.

The next meeting of the Chicago Archaeological Society is on Sunday, February 24 - Chicago Archaeological Society - “Archaeology of Southeast Asia” by Dr. Laura Junker. Meetings are at 3:00 p.m. at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston.

The next meeting of the ESCONI Archaeology Study Group is on Saturday, February 23 - 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, - Tech Ed Building (TEC), Room 1038B (Map)  Topic: Chicago Area Archaeology.  Members are asked to bring in artifacts for show and tell. We will also be selecting artifacts that will go in display for the Fossil show so anyone interested in displaying an artifact or two should bring it to be considered.

Common Ancestor of All Placental Mammals

Via Dave over at the ESCONI Discussion Group:

A new study describes the common ancestor of all placental mammals. More info at:

http://www.scienced aily.com/ releases/ 2013/02/13020714 1458.htm

... the study details how researchers used both genetic and physical traits to reconstruct the common ancestor of placental mammals, the creature that gave rise to many mammals alive today. The data show that contrary to a commonly held theory, the group diversified after the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago...

And the abstract of the article in Science.

A Few Earth Science Vendors

A few vendor web sites came to our attention in the past month:

- Need abrasives for lapidary or rock polishing? You may wish to check out Panadyne Abrasives

- Looking for information about buying gems? You may wish to check out gemstoneguru.com

- Going to Tucson? You may wish to check out SpiriferMinerals.com - they will be in Tuscon City Center - Hotel Room #424

 

And finally, a local vendor who doesn't have a web site, sent in this information for our members:

Being a fellow hobbyist, I know what it takes to set-up a shop and organize everything from tools, supplies and hardware.  I'm a big believer in organization and protecting my investment in my woodworking assets.  Having said that, I want to make your members aware of an acquisition I made that some members might like to take advantage of. 

I purchased a limited supply of high quality, commercial hardware drawer cabinets made of solid maple and plywood.  These cabinets are valued originally over $1,000 if purchased new from the original manufacturer.  The following represents specifications relating to these cabinets:

-Overall dimensions:      48 Drawer Cabinet-18" x 35" x 54"
                          64 Drawer Cabinet-18" x 46" x 54"

-Sale price on Cabinets:  48 Drawer Cabinets @ ONLY $250!
                          64 Drawer Cabinets @ ONLY $350!

These cabinets are made of the highest quality and usability.  They are made to last a lifetime for all their owners and surely will make the organization of their shops state of the art.  I've included some photos of these wonderful cabinets in an attachment with this e-mail.  For a no-obligation viewing of these limited supply drawer cabinets, please have your members contact Jim Stanfa @ 630-742-9336.  Thank you in advance for passing this information along to your members.

 

Where Can I Collect Mazon Creek Fossils?

Here is the state park in Illinois that is known for Mazon Creek fossil collecting - http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R2/MAZONIA.HTM

Resources about collecting: http://www.esconi.org/esconi_earth_science_club/2009/01/mazon-creek-reference-information.html    

ESCONI hosts two Mazon Creek collecting field trips each year to a site on private land. You just need to be a member of the club to attend. Here is the page with information to become a member - http://www.esconi.org/esconi_earth_science_club/become-a-member/

How do you find out about ESCONI field trips? Just watch the ESCONI website's Calendar of Events or watch our Facebook site for field trip announcements, or sign up to receive the event email-newsletter, or attend General ESCONI meetings or study group meetings where the field trips are also announced.

Also, Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art hosts field trips on most years - http://www.lizzadromuseum.org/calendar.html

 

 

 

ESCONI Mineralogy Meeting This Saturday 2/9

ESCONI Mineralogy Meeting 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map)

Oldest Known Tapeworms 270 mya

Via Science:

While examining fossilized shark feces (main picture) collected from southern Brazil, researchers noticed a strange cluster of oval-shaped objects. Taking a closer look, they realized they had found a tapeworm egg case bearing an uncanny resemblance to those produced by modern pests today. The eggs featured operculums (indicated by the blue arrows in inset), or small teapot lid-like flaps characteristic of tapeworm eggs, which helped the researchers identify the finding. Such discoveries, they write in PLOS ONE, are exceptionally rare; the older the fossil, the less chance of finding signs of the tiny, fragile parasites that may have once colonized it. 

Also... informative interview with Dr. George Poinar, a Paleontologist from the Department of Zoology at Oregon State University, by CBC's Quirks and Quarks.

Statistical Analysis of small theropod teeth

The research article, Multivariate Analyses of Small Theropod Dinosaur Teeth and Implications for Paleoecological Turnover through Time, by Philip Currie [who will be a speaker at the upcoming Burpee Paleofest (March 2-3)], was posted in the ESCONI Discussion group. 

 

Geo Hunting of Previous Warm Periods

Via NYTImes:

...The geologic record does offer startling examples of the instability of the planet. Whale bones can be dug up in the Sahara. The summit of Mount Everest is a chunk of ancient seafloor.

But most climate scientists reject the idea that this history means human-induced climate change will be benign. They add that the fossil record indicates nothing quite like today’s rapid release of greenhouse gases and its parallel effect of raising the planet’s temperature, changes that are occurring in a geologic instant..

Take a Virtual Trip in Himalayan Mountain

Amazing photograph that lets you move around the Pumori mountain and to zoom in for interesting detail - https://s3.amazonaws.com/Gigapans/EBC_Pumori_050112_8bit_FLAT/EBC_Pumori_050112_8bit_FLAT.html

Report on New Way to Identify Gender of Ancient Avian Species

From Science Daily (hat tip Dave Carlson over at the ESCONI Yahoo Discussion Group):

In a paper published in Nature Communications on January 22, 2013, a team of paleontologists including Dr. Luis Chiappe, Director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's (NHM) Dinosaur Institute, has discovered a way to determine the sex of a prehistoric bird species...

How to Start a Rock Collection

Fun explanation from Smithsonian Museum on how to start a rock collection.

What if the Earth is Hollow?

Geology School Field Camp

From geology.com a list of field camps by college.