There will be a field trip to the Starved Rock Clay Pit on Saturday, August 17, 2019. This a combined trip with the Lincoln Orbit Earth Science Society (LOESS) of Springfield. There is room for 20 ESCONI members. The clay pit is located just south of Starved Rock State Park. I know the date conflicts with the Canal Corridor trip - sorry.
Other than the glacial overburden, everything at the clay pit is Pennsylvanian. From top down the layers are:
Mecca Quarry Shale - Black shale, hard.
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 quarry (LaSalle Limestone and gray shale).
Rules:
1. Everyone in your party must be at least 18 years old and an ESCONI member by August 14, 2019.
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. There will be a sign-in sheet there. We will then caravan to the clay pit. End time is a bit flexible - 1 PM at the earliest.
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. Those signed up will receive the ESCONI liability waiver by email before the trip. YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRINT OUT AND SIGN THE WAIVER, just know what you are agreeing to by signing in.
Sign up by sending me (Dave) an email at [email protected] 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!
