Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Bob Bakker Delves Into Dino Guts

Bob Bakker on dinosaur internals, comparative anatomy and the evolutionary changes of hip bone orientation.  As always, Bob is a good read.

http://blog.hmns.org/2014/06/the-guts-stop-here-delve-deeper-into-dinosaurian-intestines-with-dr-bakker/

 

ESCONI Member In the News

Joseph Kubal, who is a member of ESCONI, was featured in the newspaper last week for his work in getting a Dupage county waterfall named:

via MySuburbanLife:

...Tucked away in the dense foliage of Waterfall Glen is a man-made wonder few guests, even locals, know about.

But in the Darien and Lemont area forest preserve, nature's own handiwork is even more obscure.

"This one is pretty hard to find," said Joe Kubal, as he traversed the preserve's muddy path. "The natural one is not very well known."

The Naperville resident led the way to the only naturally-made waterfall in DuPage County, one that just a year ago was such a mystery it didn't have an official name....

... etting the naming rights to the waterfall was just part of a larger project Kubal and his colleagues, independent journalist Maria Traska of Oak Lawn and College of DuPage geography professor Keith Yearman, embarked on three years ago.

The trio's book is called "The Curious Traveler's Guide to Route 66 in Metro Chicago," and they are almost done with the manuscript. Traska said it won't be a travel book, but rather a biography of the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 66, as told by the buildings and points of interest there in 1926, and the people still around to tell their part of the story.

Click here to learn the name and more about the geology

3.45 or 2.9 bya ?

Via Science news:

Some of Earth's earliest life-forms were thought to have left their mark roughly 3.45 billion years ago in minerals found in what is now the Barberton greenstone belt of South Africa. However, the minerals formed closer to 2.9 billion years ago, and the microstructures within them were not created by early microorganisms, scientists argue May 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The results suggest that scientists will have to search for a different set of signatures of early life on Earth and also on other planets.

Register for Field Trips for this Summer, 2014

2-Day Keweenaw Geoheritage Tours by Land & Water with Geology Expert ~

Register now for one or more field trips!

Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula is a place of natural beauty with a fascinating geologic history. Join local expert Dr. Bill Rose to learn how to read this landscape and how it came to be the way it is today. The Copper Country’s geoheritage is comprised of five major events in Earth’s history. Each of the five 2-day field trips will address one of these themes. Participants will get an “insiders” view of the Keweenaw’s unique geology. We’ll be mostly outside all day, with travel by boat, van and short walks. Bring your camera and comfortable walking shoes for this very special opportunity!

1.      Lavas, July 21-22: This trip focuses on the Keweenaw’s black rocks and its deep earth volcanic past; the site of Earth’s largest lava outpourings. We will visit massive lava flows and learn how they shape and influence the Keweenaw Peninsula.

2.      The Keweenaw Fault, July 23-24: This trip focuses on the magnificent Keweenaw Fault, a massive thrust fault which split the peninsula lengthwise and uplifted rocks, including native copper, to a place where people could find it. This feature has shaped and beautified the Keweenaw but is no longer active.

3.      Jacobsville Sandstone, July 25-26: The red rocks of the Keweenaw originate from the ancient, and once massive, Huron Mountains that eroded and filled the great valley of the Keweenaw rift. We will visit important fossils in the area, an ancient window to the origins of life on Earth.

4.      Keweenaw Glacial Geology, July 28-29: The Keweenaw was recently covered with more than two miles of ice. Explore this glacial history and how the lake has evolved since glacial retreat and its strong influence on our landscape by eroding and shaping the area leaving us many gifts.

5.      Lake Superior Today, July 30-31: The existence of a huge lake in the midst of North America makes for a very special environment greatly affecting weather and daily life. This trip focuses on understanding the active processes of the lake today, the current geological and physical settings, and human-induced environmental changes.

Cost: Each two-day trip costs $325 and includes lunch.

For more information, trip highlights and registration please visit:

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~raman/SilverI/KeweenawGeoheritage/July_2014_Geotours.html

For specific questions, email: keweenawgeology@gmail.com

ESCONI President Receives Award

ESCONI President, Karen Nordquist, received the Sharon Sonnleitner Award for Outstanding Service and Service from the Mid-America Paleontology Society (MAPS) at their 36th annual conference.

Grand Canyon Field Notes from Geotripper

Fascinating blog post about the Great Canyon from Geotripper:

It's Not What's There in Grand Canyon That's Incredible, It's What's Missing

.... we paid a visit to an exposure of the "Great Unconformity" which is also seen in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. A participant noted that he had seen Copperfield make an elephant disappear once, but that this week he had seen a geologist make a billion years disappear. That's what is incredible about the Grand Canyon. There are lots of interesting rocks to see, but the story they tell is that a whole lot more rocks are missing. Many times more rocks that we can see.

No part of the crust holds a complete story of the Earth. There simply hasn't been a spot that has been stable enough through the billions of years of geologic time to continually collect sediments. Instead, the story of every place one can ever visit on Earth is that it has been uplifted, eroded, deformed, and subsided numerous times. The Grand Canyon has been unusually stable compared to most, but still there are huge gaps in the story. These gaps where erosion took place are called unconformities. There are at least fourteen of them exposed in the Grand Canyon....

 

 

Friday, June 13 - Lecture: Geologic Secrets of Springfield Coal Fossilized Forests

This Friday, ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 p.m. College of Dupage, - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B

Topic: Snapshot in time – Geologic Secrets of the Springfield Coal Fossilized Forests

Scott Elrick, from the Illinois State Geological Survey, will describe a 300-million-year-old fossilized forest, found along the Galatia channel, an ancient river that flowed across southern Illinois. This ancient forest is the world’s largest intact rain forest from the Pennsylvanian Period ever to be discovered. Preserved along 150 miles of the Galatia channel river banks, the forest’s sheer size offers an unprecedented view of ancient forest life and diversity. Discovered in the roof of multiple underground coal mines, this rare find, opens a tantalizing window into the past. The forest plants and their encapsulating geology reveal much about the ancient environmental conditions during the time of their formation and about the coal they left behind. Scott will describe the geology surrounding this amazing underground discovery and the geologic and climatic factors that led to the remarkable preservation of this fossil forest.

ESCONI Events June-August, 2014

June 2014
Fri 6/13	ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 p.m. College of Dupage,  - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) Topic: Snapshot in time – Geologic Secrets of the Springfield Coal Fossilized Forests Scott Elrick, from the Illinois State Geological Survey, will describe a 300-million-year-old fossilized forest, found along the Galatia channel, an ancient river that flowed across southern Illinois.  This ancient forest is the world’s largest intact rain forest from the Pennsylvanian Period ever to be discovered.  Preserved along 150 miles of the Galatia channel river banks, the forest’s sheer size offers an unprecedented view of ancient forest life and diversity.  Discovered in the roof of multiple underground coal mines, this rare find, opens a tantalizing window into the past. The forest plants and their encapsulating geology reveal much about the ancient environmental conditions during the time of their formation and about the coal they left behind. Scott will describe the geology surrounding this amazing underground discovery and the geologic and climatic factors that led to the remarkable preservation of this fossil forest.
Sat 6/14	Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society Hosts 3rd Annual Rock Swap Saturday, June 14, 2014 1 to 5 PM, Indoors St. Peter’s United Church of Christ gymnasium 8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie Think of it as a flea market with rocks, minerals, fossils, geodes, and lapidary-arts treasures! Includes special kids’ activities Come for an afternoon of great deals on a treasure trove of items for rockhounds of all ages, including a special fossil hunt and more activities for kids. Gather up your rocks, minerals, fossils, crystals, geodes, cabochons, any lapidary-arts related items or spare cash you have, and swap these for something else you really want. Free admission. Ample free parking. Refreshments available. For more information, call Jeanine N. Mielecki at (773) 774-2054 or e-mail JayNine9@aol.com. Visitwww.chicagorocks.org.
June 14	ESCONI Mineralogy Meeting 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, - Tech Ed Building (TEC), Room 1038B (Map)  Minerals of Georgia
June 14	Elgin Public Museum, 7:00 pm, Lecture - Another adult lecture is coming your way this Saturday evening at the Elgin Public Museum. In less than a couple of weeks we'll experience the summer equinox, a significant time keeping day for ancient cultures. Telling Time in Ancient North America, will be presented by Bill Iseminger.  Bill is the Assistant Site Manager at Cahokia Mounds, just east of St. Louis.  We are able to offer this talk to you at no charge thanks to the Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholars Program.  Seating will be limited, so RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.  Give us a call at 847-741-6655 to guarantee yourself a seat.
June 17 - 20	17th Annual Illinois Coal Education Conference Register by April 14, 2014 at http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/Bureaus/Coal/Pages/Education.aspx
June 21	Lizzadro Museum Field Trip: Travel by motor coach to two quarries in Rockford, Illinois. Collect Ordovician Period (450 million years old) marine fossils in dolomitic limestone. Collectable fossils include: brachiopods, cephalopods, corals, crinoids, gastropods, and more. Call for reservations Field Trips - Ages 8 yrs. to Adult 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fee: $40.00 per person – Museum Members $35.00 Reservations Required: 630-833-1616
June 26	Burpee Museum, Mahlburg Scholars Presents Joel Bowling June 26, 2014 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Local collector, Joel Bowling will show pieces from his own award winning collection and has offered to identify artifacts brought in by the public. Mr. Bowling has been collecting since 1975 and has been a host for the Oregon Indian Artifact show for the past eight years. He specializes in stone pieces, especially axes and birdstones as well as projectile points, and has amassed a collection of over 2000 pieces. He can tell the age of an item, what it’s made out of and how, and often if the person who made it was right or left handed. Bring your field finds and join us for an evening exploring tools made by the First Peoples in North America.
June 28	Burpee Museum, Family Fossil Field Trip - East State Quarry,    1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Family Fossil Field Trips are back! Come out to the East State Quarry and find your own fossils! Family Fossil Field Trips are a great way to see the history that has happened in our own back yards. Pre-registration required. Call 815.965.3433 to register today! Ticket Info Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members
	Field Museum, Many programs for families, adults, teens.
	Elgin Public Museum has many programs this summer - as well as the Peggy Notebaert Museum.
	No meetings till September
	July & August 2014
	July & August 2014
July 31 - Aug 4	Multi-Federation Field Trip — Terry, Montana Multi-Federation field trip gathering in the town of Terry in eastern Montana. Numerous trips to Gravel Bars on the Yellowstone River to hunt for Montana agates, jasper, petrified wood, fossil coral, stromatolites, and more. There also will be trips fo fossil country to the Pierre and Bear Paw formations areas to collect ammonites, baculites, scaphites, nautiloids, and many other shells, 70-95 million years old. In the works are trips to areas to collect dinosaur fossils from the Hell Creek formation. More information to come on this. Plus, there will be the opportunity to take a guided tour through the Eastern Montana Badlands. Kids are welcome. Location: In and around Terry, Montana Info: Contact Doug True, AFMS Field Trip Chair dtruefossils12@yahoo.com or 406-670-0506.

Chicago Rock Swap - Sat, June 14, 2014: 1-5 pm, St. Peter's Church, Skokie

LET’S ROCK!

 

Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society

Hosts 3rd Annual Rock Swap

Saturday, June 14, 2014

1 to 5 PM, Indoors

St. Peter’s United Church of Christ gymnasium

8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie

 

Think of it as a flea market with rocks, minerals, fossils, geodes, and lapidary-arts treasures!

Includes special kids’ activities

 

Come for an afternoon of great deals on a treasure trove of items for rockhounds of all ages, including a special fossil hunt and more activities for kids. Gather up your rocks, minerals, fossils, crystals, geodes, cabochons, any lapidary-arts related items or spare cash you have, and swap these for something else you really want. Free admission. Ample free parking. Refreshments available.

 

For more information, call Jeanine N. Mielecki at (773) 774-2054 or e-mail JayNine9@aol.com. Visit www.chicagorocks.org.

Room Number for June 5 Miner Safety Training Is TEC 1038A

We have the room number - TEC 1038A , College of Dupage

Thursday, June 5 - Miner Safety Training

John McArdle of ZRS (Zoological Research Services) is approved to offer Miner Safety Certification Training and issue certificates and will be teaching the course on June 5 at 7:00 pm.

The meeting room will be announced soon.

The cost will be $10 for each ESCONI Member payable at the door to John McArdle.

Contact John Good at 630-303-2352 for reservations or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com.

Miner safety training helps to ensure successful and safe collecting. Some quarries require this training before allowing us to collect on their propery.

It is highly recommended that members get certified in Miner Safety training - this certificate is especially important if you want to collect fossils at quarries like Larson Quarry or the Indiana trip.