Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

National Fossil Day 2015: ESCONI Best Fossil Competition on Saturday, October 17th

At the Paleontology Study Group Meeting on October 17th, 2015, ESCONI will hold our first ever Best Fossil Competition.  Come on out for a night of fossils!  There were be many local experts to help identify what you've brought and then enter it in the Best Fossil Competition.

Here are the ESCONI Best Fossil Rules for 2015:

1. 3 classes: vertebrate, invertebrate, plant. First, second and third place in each class will be selected.
2. Specimens can be from any geologic age as long as it is a fossil.
3. Do not need to be an ESCONI member to enter.
4. One entry per class, per person.
5. Winners are decided by a vote of members present at the October Paleontology Study Group meeting. Votes will be counted and winners announced at this meeting.
6. Winners get their picture (with winning specimen) published in the Bulletin, and on the website, and will receive a certificate.
7. Real, physical fossils only – no reproductions or pictures. You must own the fossil being entered, disclose if it was purchased, and describe any repairs or reconstruction done to the specimen.
8. Entries must be identified at least to genus level. (Don't worry, we can help with the identification!)
9. Owners will give a short (5 minutes max) presentation about their entry. This is your chance to be creative and convince the voters ;)
10. A specimen can only win once. Those that do not win may be entered in subsequent years.
11. Votes will counted by the study group chairmen or their designees. The person doing the counting may not have a specimen entered in the competition for that class.

There will be an impressive set of fossils and a good time for all!

 

Field Trip: State Street Quarry in Rockford on October 10, 2015

There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the State Street Quarry in Rockford on October 10, 2015.

 

Rules are as follows:

 

1. Must be an ESCONI member as of October 3, 2015.

 

2. Must be at least 18 years of age.

 

3. Starts at 9 AM and ends at 12 noon.

 

4. A group from the Rock Valley Gem and Mineral Society will also be there, so the size of our group is limited to 15.

 

5. Sign up by sending me (Dave) an email at  [email protected]  with the number of ESCONI members attending. I will confirm by return email within 24 hours. If you don't get a response, send it again! No phone calls, please.

 

6. Bring a hard hat, boots (no sandals, tennis shoes, etc), eye protection and a safety vest. Use appropriate tools (rock hammers NOT claw or roofing hammers, etc).

 

7. Please review the ESCONI Code of Ethics and Conduct available on the ESCONI website. And remember that you must not go near (or under) any equipment, including conveyors, while in the quarry.

 

8. The address of the quarry is 8966 East State Street, Rockford, IL. You can use Google Earth to see a picture.9. The rock at this quarry is Ordovician, probably upper layers of the Galena Group.

 

10. As usual, I will distribute the release form by email before the trip.

 

Send Dave Carlson an email with any questions.

 

Updated ESCONI Library Books and Videos

ESCONI has a library of books and videos about the earth sciences. The ESCONI library now contains 660 items.  From dinosaurs to Native Americans to the geology under our feet, there's a ton of great material.

The Complete Dinosaur Farlow & Brett-Surman (ed.) 1997
The Complete T. Rex (softcover, signed by Horner & Lessem) Horner & Lessem 1993
Ammonites and the Other Cephalopods of the Pierre Seaway Larson, Jorgensen, Farrar, Larson 1997
Gem Trails of Colorado Mitchell, James R. 1992
American Indian Ways of Life, Illinois State Museum, No. 9 Deuel, Thorne 1958

And many, many, more...

Download ESCONI 2021 Library

To borrow a book/video, contact Andrew Jansen, who will bring the item to the next meeting.

Reminder: Field Trip to Braceville, IL September 26-27, 2015

Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils on private property.

Meet at 8:00 A.M. Saturday or Sunday 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.

Check the web site for details or contact John Good at 1-630-303-2352 for reservations or e-mail at [email protected].

myFOSSIL Project Newsletter for September 2015

The September issue of myFOSSIL Project Newsletter is available here.  It includes:

The Paleontological Society Would Like to Hear from You by Arnold Miller

Featured Paleontologist: Anthony Martin

Club Corner: Dallas Paleontological Society by Roger Farish, Lee Higgenbotham, & Rocky Manning

Featured Fossil: Mesohippus Mandible by Rachel Narducci & Megan Higbee Hendrickson

5th Annual National Fossil Day

Zooniverse: Search for Fossils from the Comfort of Home

Amateur Spotlight: George H. Junne, Jr., with commentary by Jon Bloch

Education: Atlas of Ancient Life

Research: The “Terror Bird:” Paleobiology of a Fierce Bird

And much, much, more!

 

 

Paleontology Study Group: Show and Tell!

Tonight at 7:30 College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: "Show and Tell"

Come on out, bring your fossils and your stories!

 

CBC Quirks & Quarks - Ankylosaurs' Tail Had a Wicked End

Ziapelta, an ankylosaur with a fully developed tail club. (Artist: Sydney Mohr)

Quirks & Quarks as a segment about Ankylosaurs.  They were plant-eating dinosaurs with full body armour and a large club-like tail.  There is evidence that it was used to battle other Ankylosaurs and probably provided some protection from predators.  Dr Victoria Aubour, a Canadian Post-doctoral researcher at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, is interview about her paper on the evolution of the tail structure.  Her original paper appeared in the Journal of Anatomy.

Other interesting segments include:

Homo naledi - New Species of Human Relative

Plastics - a New "Silent Spring"?

New Horizons to Pluto and Beyond

 

ESCONI Code of Ethics

Recently a "Code of Ethics" was considered and approved by the ESCONI board.  Just in case you haven't noticed, it's hard to find places for field trips.  If we can all follow some basic rules of courtesy, it might help us maintain our current relationships and find some new ones.  Here is the "ESCONI Code of Ethics and Conduct".

1. Members will conduct themselves in a manner that best represents ESCONI.
2. Members will respect and cooperate with the field trip leader, land owner, or other designated authorities while collecting.
3. Minors must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or guardian while on field trips.
4. Members will conduct their collecting activities in a manner which is safe for themselves and others.
5. Members will wear all required safety clothing and equipment (hard hats, sturdy shoes, eye protection, etc.) for the entire duration of the field trip.
6. Members will not collect without appropriate permission on private or public lands.
7. Members will follow all applicable local, state and federal laws pertaining to collecting of specimens.
8. Members will report to appropriate authorities any seemingly scientifically important paleontological specimen or site.
9. Members will not use the name “ESCONI” to gain access, when not on an official club field trip, to lands for collecting.

 

 

National Fossil Day 2015

National Fossil Day 2015 is just around the corner on October 14th, 2015.  All the details are on the "National Fossil Day" website.  There are many events planned.  ESCONI is considering various ideas as October 9th is the General Meeting and October 17th is the Paleontology Study Group meeting.   Come out and celebrate!

 

Homo naledi: new species of ancient human discovered, claim scientists

Credit John Hawks/University of Wisconsin-Madison, via European Pressphoto Agency

The Guardian has a story about the recent discovery of new ancient human fossils.  The bones were found in a deep narrow cave in South Africa.  They are believed to be part of a new species of Homo, Homo naledi.  National Geographic has a video that describes the find in detail.  Additionally, Nova has a special, "Dawn of Humanity", which appears on PBS on Sept 16th, 2015, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.  The original paper was published in the journal eLIFE.

 

Fossil, Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show at Prairie State College Oct. 17 and 18

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. 17 and 18, 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.

Here is the link on the Prairie State website.

 

Unexpected Step: Snake Ancestor Had Four Feet

Livescience has a story about the oldest snake fossil.  It doesn't look too different from a modern snake, except...  it has four legs!  Named Tetrapodophis amplectus (literally, four-legged snake), it lived about 120 million years ago in what is now Brazil.  The fossil was discovered in an exhibit of specimens from the Crato Formation by David Martill, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. 

The original paper appeared in the jounal Science.

Previous research has detailed two-legged snake fossils, but this is the first known snake ancestor to sport four legs, he said. It likely evolved from terrestrial-burrowing creatures, and was a transitional animal that lived during the shift from ancient lizards to modern-day snakes, he added.

"We've found the ancestor of all snakes," Martill told Live Science. "We have found the missing link between four-legged lizards and snakes."

Martill happened upon the fossil during a field trip with his students to the Solnhofen Museum (formerly known as the Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum) in Germany. As they were looking at an exhibit of fossils from the Crato Formation, in northeastern Brazil, Martill noticed the 7.8-inch-long (20 centimeters) snake. It had a plaque that said "Unknown fossil."

"My jaw just dropped," he said. "I thought, 'Bloody hell, that's a fossil snake.'"

The Crato Formation happens to be one of Martill's prime subjects. He is the author of "The Crato Fossil Beds of Brazil: Window into an Ancient World" (Cambridge University Press, 2008), so he knew that a snake from the Crato Formation would be "about 20 million years older than any other fossil snake," he said.

Intrigued, he leaned in closer to the display to get a better look.

"I thought, 'Bloody hell, it's got back legs!'" Martill said. "It had front legs. Nobody had ever seen a snake before with four legs, and yet evolutionary theory predicts that there should be an animal that is transitional between four-legged lizards and snakes, and here it was."

 

 

Reminder: Rock and Mineral Swap Meet, Rockford, IL on September 12th, 2015

There is a rock and mineral swap meet in Rockford, IL on September 12th, 2015.  The event will be held at 6219 Forest Hills Road, Rockford, Illinois. Admission is free, $20 space donation for 10x10 booth.

Contact John Wood 815-978-6960 [email protected] for more information.

Bring it, swap it, buy it and sell it!

Palaeocast Episode 51: Eurypterids and the new oldest Eurypterid found in Ordovician Rocks near Decorah, Iowa

Picture Credit: Patrick Lynch/Yale University

A new oldest Eurypterid was discovered in 2010 from the Winneshiek lagerstätte (site of special preservation) near Decorah, Iowa.  The animal is called Pentecopterus decorahensis.  It lived between 467.3 and 458.4 million years ago (Middle Ordovician), and it predates the previous oldest by about 9 million years.  This show is an interview with the lead autthor Dr James Lamsdell of Yale University.  He discusses Eurypterids in general and gives many details about this new species.  

The original paper appeared in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.

Speaker Change for the September 2015 Meeting, Jamie Fearon, Wheaton College on Burrowing Dinosaurs

There is a speaker change for the September General Meeting.  The new speaker will be Jamie Fearon of Wheaton College.  He will be speaking on a new find of burrowing dinosaurs.

 

Archaeology Meeting Canceled for September

The Archaeology study group meeting has been canceled for September.  See you in October!

 

Field Trip to Braceville, IL September 26-27, 2015

Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils on private property.

Meet at 8:00 A.M. Saturday or Sunday 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.

Check the web site for details or contact John Good at 1-630-303-2352 for reservations or e-mail at [email protected].

ESCONI Events September 2015

Fri, Sept 11	ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 p.m. College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: "Burrowing Dinosaurs” by Jamie Fearon of Wheaton College
Sat, Sept 12	ESCONI Mineralogy Meeting 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: "Show and Tell" by ESCONI Club members
Fri, Sept 18	ESCONI Archaeology Study Group Meeting, Canceled.  See you in October!
Sat Sept 19	ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting, 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: "Show and Tell" Bring your fossils and stories!
Sat Sept 26-27	ESCONI Field Trip, Braceville, IL. We will be collecting Mazon Creek concretions.