Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Reminder: MAPS 2017 starts today Friday, March 31st thru Sunday, April 2nd, 2017

That's today!  Don't miss it.  It's always a great time!

The MAPS National Fossil Expo #39 will be held from Friday, March 31st to Sunday, April 2nd, 2017.  This years topic is "The Silurian Period".  The show's informational newsletter is here.  And, the keynote speaker is Dr. Carlton Brett, of the University of Cincinnati.  The title of his talk is "Fossil Echinoderms of the Middle Silurian in North America: An Age of Crinoids and 'Anachronistic' Faunas".  It is scheduled for 6:00 PM on Saturday at the Clarion Hotel (AKA The Highlander).

The schedule for daily events can be found here.  

The show will be held at Sharpless Auction facility just North of I-80 at exit 249 in Iowa City, IA.  

Don't miss it, it's always a great time!

Field Trip: ISGS Field Trip on Thursday, April 27th, 2017 - “Viewing the Glacial Geology and Geomorphology in Western Champaign County”

Overview: This Illinois Geographical Society- sponsored tour explores the geological features as well as man’s impact on the landscape in this 4-hour excursion around western Champaign County. The tour is self-pay for all meals and will be led by a staff member(s) of the Illinois State Geological Survey.

Meeting Point: Meet at JT Walker’s Restaurant and Brewery, 401 East Main Street, Mahomet, IL 61853, 217/586-1100, www.jtwalkers.com/ at 12:00 Noon on Thursday, April 27, 2017. We will have lunch (on your own) prior to the trip.

Tour cost: Self-pay. Field guides [CITATION Gri16 \l 1033 ] are $15 cash and must be pre-ordered (payable to IGS) at time of reservation. They will be distributed at lunch prior to the trip unless other arrangements are made.

Transportation: We will be alternating between car transportation (caravan) and walking. You will be responsible for your own gasoline costs, parking fees, and tolls.

Other Important Information: Some parts of this field trip may be moderately challenging as we may be climbing up and down riverbank slopes (depending on the weather and river levels). Some sites will not be handicapped-accessible. Please bring boots and outerwear that can get soiled. There is no collecting on this trip with the exception of a gravel pit we may visit.

Reservations and contacts for Additional Information:

Joe Kubal (IGS Field Trip Coordinator) 

630-983-6159 (Home) 

[email protected]

Keith Yearman (IGS Field Trip Coordinator) 

312-532-7645 (Cell) 

[email protected]

David A. Grimley (ISGS Field Trip Leader) 

217-244-7324 (Office) 

[email protected]

 

Full Details of the 2017 IGS Pre-Meeting Field Trip

 

ESCONI Hats!

They were available at the show last week and should be available at general meetings, maybe at MAPS this weekend.  Get them while you can... they were a hot item at the show!

 

Chocolate Megalodon Teeth

Fossilera has chocolate Megalodon teeth.  There's three flavors to choose from, milk, dark, and white chocolate.  Get your sweet tooth satisfied in a MEGA way!

 

Reminder: MAPS 2017 is Friday, March 31st thru Sunday, April 2nd, 2017

That's this Friday!  Don't miss it.  It's always a great time!

The MAPS National Fossil Expo #39 will be held from Friday, March 31st to Sunday, April 2nd, 2017.  This years topic is "The Silurian Period".  The show's informational newsletter is here.  And, the keynote speaker is Dr. Carlton Brett, of the University of Cincinnati.  The title of his talk is "Fossil Echinoderms of the Middle Silurian in North America: An Age of Crinoids and 'Anachronistic' Faunas".  It is scheduled for 6:00 PM on Saturday at the Clarion Hotel (AKA The Highlander).

The schedule for daily events can be found here.  

The show will be held at Sharpless Auction facility just North of I-80 at exit 249 in Iowa City, IA.  

Don't miss it, it's always a great time!

More ESCONI 2017 Show Pictures

Various pictures from the vendors tables...

Saturday Pictures from the ESCONI 2017 Show

Mazon Creek Auction Material

Today and Tommorrow are the 2017 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show

Come out and enjoy!

 

Saturday, March 25th - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 26th - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free admittance and parking!

Explore
your interests

Shop
for jewelry, gems, fossils, minerals from world-class vendors!

Mineral Miner

KU Minerals

Exclusive Inspiration

Rock Stars

Rib River

Lavin's Gems

Circle of Stones

Fossil Hut

Southwest Treasures

Jackangeline Pop Up Rock Shop

Find
unique and interesting books at the used book sale

Learn
from members of club demonstrating their hobbies and collections

Bid and buy
gems, minerals and fossils at the
Silent Auction
and Live Auctions
(photos of some items will be posted on website a week before show)

Enjoy
amazing displays from the
Field Museum & Lizzadro Museum

Win
an amazing earth-science related prize in the hourly raffle if your ticket chosen

AND MORE FOR KIDS ~

Receive
a FREE collection of minerals and fossils at the Junior Booth

Play
games and do crafts at the Kiddie Corner

Split
your own geode

Accomplish
some of the requirements for badges....
 Boy Scout Geology, Collections, or Archaeology Badge
 Girl Scout Jeweler Junior Craft Badge
4-H Science Project

 

Click here to see more photos of past ESCONI Shows

Download 2017 ESCONI Flyer

 
Questions? Comments?

email: [email protected]

www.esconi.org

www.facebook.com/ESCONI.fb

twitter.com/ESCONI

Location -

 

More ESCONI 2017 Show Preview Pictures

Here are some more preview pictures for the ESCONI Show, which starts tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the 2017 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show

Tomorrow is the day!  Come out and enjoy!

 

Saturday, March 25th - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 26th - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free admittance and parking!

Explore
your interests

Shop
for jewelry, gems, fossils, minerals from world-class vendors

List to Follow Soon, Stay tuned!

Find
unique and interesting books at the used book sale

Learn
from members of club demonstrating their hobbies and collections

Bid and buy
gems, minerals and fossils at the
Silent Auction
and Live Auctions
(photos of some items will be posted on website a week before show)

Enjoy
amazing displays from the
Field Museum & Lizzadro Museum

Win
an amazing earth-science related prize in the hourly raffle if your ticket chosen

AND MORE FOR KIDS ~

Receive
a FREE collection of minerals and fossils at the Junior Booth

Play
games and do crafts at the Kiddie Corner

Split
your own geode

Accomplish
some of the requirements for badges....
 Boy Scout Geology, Collections, or Archaeology Badge
 Girl Scout Jeweler Junior Craft Badge
4-H Science Project

 

Click here to see more photos of past ESCONI Shows

Download 2017 ESCONI Flyer

 
Questions? Comments?

email: [email protected]

www.esconi.org

www.facebook.com/ESCONI.fb

twitter.com/ESCONI

Location -

 

ESCONI 2017 Show Preview Pictures

Here is a preview of some of the mineral specimens available during the auctions this weekend.

Donation of Material for the Junior Booth at the Upcoming Show

For the junior booth, we need small specimens in large quantities that could go in grab bags.  Small geodes, tumbled stones, brachiopods, or crinoid stems anything like that would do. Maybe, you've got small jars or bags of these things sitting in the basement coated with dust. 

Get rid of some clutter and drop it off at the annual show this weekend, March 25th and 26th.\

Thanks!

 

Reminder: 2017 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show March 25th and March 26th

Just a little over a week away!

 

Saturday, March 25th - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 26th - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free admittance and parking!

Explore
your interests

Shop
for jewelry, gems, fossils, minerals from world-class vendors

List to Follow Soon, Stay tuned!

Find
unique and interesting books at the used book sale

Learn
from members of club demonstrating their hobbies and collections

Bid and buy
gems, minerals and fossils at the
Silent Auction
and Live Auctions
(photos of some items will be posted on website a week before show)

Enjoy
amazing displays from the
Field Museum & Lizzadro Museum

Win
an amazing earth-science related prize in the hourly raffle if your ticket chosen

AND MORE FOR KIDS ~

Receive
a FREE collection of minerals and fossils at the Junior Booth

Play
games and do crafts at the Kiddie Corner

Split
your own geode

Accomplish
some of the requirements for badges....
 Boy Scout Geology, Collections, or Archaeology Badge
 Girl Scout Jeweler Junior Craft Badge
4-H Science Project

 

Click here to see more photos of past ESCONI Shows

Download 2017 ESCONI Flyer

 
Questions? Comments?

email: [email protected]

www.esconi.org

www.facebook.com/ESCONI.fb

twitter.com/ESCONI

Location -

 

BBC: Legendary Dinosaurs That We All Imagine Completely Wrong

BBC earth has a post about common misconceptions of various popular dinosaurs.  Velociraptor, Archaeopteryx, Triceratops, and yes, Tyrannosaurus rex are just a few of the ones listed.

Like many children, I had a severe dinosaur phase. There was a period of my life when I cared more about prehistoric reptiles than pretty much anything else.

However, it turns out that much of what I thought I knew is wrong. That is because the prevailing image of dinosaurs has always been a little slow in catching up with current scientific understanding.

Until the "dinosaur renaissance" of the late 1960s, dinosaurs were always depicted as sluggish and lumbering. But experts realised that they had active lifestyles, and this slowly filtered through to the public – helped by 1993's Jurassic Park.

The past two decades have seen another major revolution in our ideas about dinosaurs, thanks to new fossils from China and advances in technology. But most of these findings have not seeped out into popular depictions of dinosaurs.

20 Things You Didn’t Know About “Inner Earth”

GeologyPage has a story about 20 things you didn't know about the inner Earth. 

1. In 1692 Edmond Halley (of comet fame) proposed that the Earth is hollow. Below the outer crust where we live, he pictured two concentric shells and a core about the size of Mercury, all floating in a luminous gas.

2. Helloooo down there: Halley even imagined that these shells might be inhabited. Jules Verne riffed on this idea in his classic Journey to the Center of the Earth.

3. Halley was right about the planet-size core, at least. At Earth’s center is an iron-rich orb more than 4,000 miles wide—bigger than Mercury, actually—closer to our feet than L.A. is to New York.

Field Trip: Vulcan DeKalb (aka Larson) Quarry, Monday, April 10, 2017

There will be an ESCONI Field Trip to the Vulcan DeKalb (aka Larson) Quarry on Monday (!) April 10, 2017 from 1 PM to 3 PM. The quarry is located at 15622 Barber Green Road.This trip is combined with a visit from Dr. Reed Scherer's Invert Paleo class from NIU. There are no trips to this quarry on weekends. The rules are shown below:

 

You must be an ESCONI member as of April 3rd and at least 18 years old to attend this trip. That means you can pay your membership dues at the upcoming show, if you haven't done so already.

 

 

1. Because this is a combined trip, there are only 12 open slots for ESCONI members.

 

2. The parking lot is on the south side of the road, but it isn't big. Follow any directions given by quarry management on parking.

 

3. We will have site-specific training, and everyone will sign a waiver.  Waiver forms will be distributed by email a few days before the trip.

 

4. We will be collecting in a designated area on the overburden shale dump only.  We cannot go anywhere else in the quarry.

 

5. You must have the following safety gear: steel-toed boots, hard hat, safety glasses and safety vest.  These must be worn at all times on the property.

 

6. No rock hammers, chisels, or large shovels.  We can keep the fossils we find as long as they can easily be carried.

 

7. Photographs of the quarry or quarry facilities are not allowed.  Photographs of fossils ARE allowed, and Vulcan management would like to have pictures of nice specimens.

 

8. Please review the ESCONI Code of Ethics available on the ESCONI website.  This applies to field trips.

 

If you have unique or impressive specimens found at this quarry, and are willing to bring them for the group(s) to see, please do so.

 

To sign up for this field trip, please send Dave Carlson an email with the number of members attending. The email address is: [email protected]  No phone calls please. You will receive a confirmation via return email within 24 hours. If you do not hear back within that time, send it again!

 

 

 

MAPS Expo 2017 is Friday, March 31st to Sunday, April 2nd 2017

The MAPS National Fossil Expo #39 will be held from Friday, March 31st to Sunday, April 2nd, 2017.  This years topic is "The Silurian Period".  The show's informational newsletter is here.  And, the keynote speaker is Dr. Carlton Brett.  The title of his talk will be announced soon.  The show will be held at Sharpless Auction facility just North of I-80 at exit 249 in Iowa City, IA.  

Don't miss it, it's always a great time!

The Field Museum's Response to the Recent Tully Monster Paper

The Field Museum blog has a reply to the recent Tully Monster paper that disagreed with the determination of the Tully Monster as a vertebrate, which appeared in a couple papers published last year in Nature.

Last year, two papers in the journal Nature sought to resolve what group of animals Tully Monster fossils belong to; both papers concluded the vertebrates. Last week, Dr. Lauren Sallan and colleagues published a paper in the journal Palaeontology, "The Tully Monster is Not a Vertebrate..." And that's okay; it is part of how science works.

It's quite normal for new ideas, based on new scientific information and analyses, to raise questions. You might think of scientific discourse as a marketplace of ideas, backed up by data, analyses, and interpretations. Scientists sometimes disagree about one or more of these three components, and that's where the marketplace concept comes in. Other scientists (not just the ones who wrote the papers) are part of the marketplace, and they scrutinize the different perspectives, sometimes doing more research, critiquing, or adding to the discussion and building on the base of knowledge about whatever controversy is at hand. Most often, some sort of consensus is reached in the broader scientific community, though it might take years of back-and-forth discussions.

We are co-authors on one of the papers in Nature, and we took part in a long meticulous slog examining more than 1,000 Tully monster fossils in The Field Museum’s collection. We were looking for biologically informative characters to add to the ones that had been reported in the 50-plus year interval since the Tully monster was described as a bizarre beast that didn't fit into any known animal group. We also examined and looked for characters of other 307-million-year-old Mazon Creek fossils preserved in the same unusual ironstone concretions as the soft-bodied Tully monster.

ESCONI At PaleoFest

We are at PaleoFest at Burpee.  Come on out!

ESCONI Events March 2017

Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings!

Sat, March 11th	ESCONI Minerology Study Group Meeting 7:30 PM College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: Annual Mineral Identification Contest; Bring 3 unlabeled specimens and 4 labels
Sat, March 25th	ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show!  For info see this page
Sun, March  26th	ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show!  For info see this page
	ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting 7:30 PM College of Dupage - No Meeting
	ESCONI Archaeology Study Group Meeting - Open at this time, seeking a chair
	ESCONI Junior Meeting - Open at this time, seeking to restart the group.  Contact Diana Lord for information.