There will be a field trip to the Starved Rock Clay Pit on Saturday, September 24, 2016. The trip is organized by the Lincoln Orbit Earth Science Society (LOESS) of Springfield, but ESCONI members are welcome. The clay pit is located just south of Starved Rock State Park.
Other than the glacial overburden, everything at the clay pit is Pennsylvanian. From top down the layers are:
Mecca Quarry Shale - Black shale sporadically found in reclaimed areas.
Francis Creek Shale - Mudstone from deltaic deposits
Colchester No. 2 coal
Underclay - paleosol where the plants that made up the coal were rooted
This location produces pyrite balls, pyritized wood, occasional vertebrate and invertebrate fossils in the black shake, and Mazon-like concretions. From my experience, the concretions do not split like typical Mazon concretions, but tend to degrade to flakes when subjected to freezing/thawing. The entry road is made with rock from the nearby Lone Star (Buzzi-Unicem) quarry (LaSalle Limestone and gray shale).
Rules:
1. Everyone in your party must be at least 18 years old and an ESCONI member (unless you're a member of LOESS) by September 17, 2016.
2. Meet at the McDonald's in Oglesby by 8:30 AM. The address is 115 N. Lewis Avenue, Oglesby, IL. It is just east of I-39 on the east side of town. Waivers will be distributed and signed there. We will then caravan to the clay pit.
3. Bring and wear a hard hat and safety vest. Boots are strongly recommended as this location can be very muddy. If you plan to hammer on rocks then bring and wear eye protection. This is a big place, and a wagon or cart can be helpful.
4. This is not a hard-rock quarry, and the walls are not high, but exercise caution near any wall. If it looks unstable, don't go near it. Stay away from any equipment or cables.
5. The commercial product here is clay removed from pits in the quarry floor. These pits accumulate water. You must not go in the pits or the water. The mud in and around the pits can suck you in and not let go!
6. If the entry road is in bad shape or there has been recent rain, vehicle access may be limited. We'll find out when we get there.
7. Please review the ESCONI Code of Ethics and Conduct on the website. It applies to field trips like this one.
With all the pyrite at this site you might think there is quite a bit of sulfur - and you'd be right! You'll get used to the smell...
Sign up by sending me (Dave) an email at fossil54@att.net giving the number of ESCONI members attending and their names. I will confirm by return email within 24 hours. If you don't hear from me in that time, send it again!