Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Happy 70th Birthday ESCONI!

Cover of the first edition of the bulletin

ESCONI (Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois) was founded on November 11, 1949 with an initial meeting of 13 people interested in Earth Sciences. William Allaway was the 1st President of ESCONI.

The purpose of ESCONI:  The aim of the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois is to promote an interest in the earth sciences, among these are geology, paleontology, mineralogy, micromounting, and the lapidary arts.

The ESCONI Bulletin, Earth Science News, has been published 11 times per year continuously since January 1950.

Excerpts from the original historical document (NewsletterHistory.pdf)

On November 11, 1949.  Thirteen People, each interested in some phase of the Earth Sciences, met in the basement of the W.H. Allaway  home in Downers Grove, Illinois to discuss their common interest. They were Jay Farr, W.H.Allaway, Helen Allaway, Herb Beck, Bob Beck, Roy Beghtol, LeRoy Beghtol, Steven T. Norvell, Dr. Spiesman, Guy Spiesman, Donald Thayer, Annie Besser and Harry Thayer.

Out of their enthusiasm and discussion, the idea grew  that there must be more people in the western suburbs interested in these same subjects in this vicinity.  They adjourned for the evening with plans formulated to circulate the idea among friends and acquaintances and to call a special meeting on November 25th for further discussion. 

November 25, 1949. Thirty -two people arrived at the home of Dr. Speisman to discuss the idea further.  Mr. Allaway acted as temporary chairman and Guy Spiesman as temporary Secretary.  Committees were appointed to begin the ground work for a club that would embody geology, paleontology, paleobotany, mineralogy, ancient man and the lapidary arts. Committees were:    Nominating --to appoint a slate of officers, Constitution and By-laws,  Meeting place, Membership  Chairman - Roy Beghtol. Discussion of a name for the new organization to be present at the next meeting with a prize offered for the winner.  It was decided to print a bulletin at regular intervals.  Herb Beck agreed to print announcement cards for the next meeting to be held January 6, 1950.

December 12, 1949 First regular meeting - 62 present with 27 becoming regular members. Officers elected:    Chairman - W.H. Allaway, Vice-Chairman - Roy Beghtol, Recording Secretary   - Jay Farr,   Treasurer  - Steven T. Norvell, Historian-Curator - Ethel Whitney....

Out of their enthusiasm and discussion, the idea grew  that there must be more people in the western suburbs interested in these same subjects in this vicinity.  They adjourned for the evening with plans formulated to circulate the idea among friends and acquaintances and to call a special meeting on November 25th for further discussion. 

November 25, 1949. Thirty -two people arrived at the home of Dr. Speisman to discuss the idea further.  Mr. Allaway acted as temporary chairman and Guy Spiesman as temporary Secretary.  Committees were appointed to begin the ground work for a club that would embody geology, paleontology, paleobotany, mineralogy, ancient man and the lapidary arts. Committees were:    Nominating --to appoint a slate of officers, Constitution and By-laws,  Meeting place, Membership  Chairman - Roy Beghtol. Discussion of a name for the new organization to be present at the next meeting with a prize offered for the winner.  It was decided to print a bulletin at regular intervals.  Herb Beck agreed to print announcement cards for the next meeting to be held January 6, 1950.

December 12, 1949 First regular meeting - 62 present with 27 becoming regular members. Officers elected:    Chairman - W.H. Allaway, Vice-Chairman - Roy Beghtol, Recording Secretary   - Jay Farr,   Treasurer  - Steven T. Norvell, Historian-Curator - Ethel Whitney....

ESCONI November General Meeting - ESCONI 70th Birthday Celebration Pictures

The November General Meeting last Friday, November 8th, 2019 was a great time!  We have a very large turnout and had to expand into the neighboring room.  There were two speakers, Keith Robitschek and Paul Mayer.  Keith did a presentation that discussed the history of ESCONI from 1949 to the present, while Paul spoke about the long fruitful relationship between the Field Museum and ESCONI.

The Cake!

The current Board of Directors.  Jeff Lord President, Chris Cozart Curator, Irene Broede 2nd Vice President, John Catalani Field Trip Chairman, Don Cronauer Editor, Andy Jansen Treasurer and Librarian, Keith Robitschek Historian and Field Trips, Dianna Lord Publicity and Recording Secretary, Dave Carlson 1st Vice President, and Rich Holm Webmaster.  Not pictured, Karen Nordquist Membership and Liaison.

Paul Mayer, of the Field Museum, and Dave Carlson, 1st Vice President

Keith Robitschek and Tom Williams

The LRBs are in the house!

Irene Broede, longest standing ESCONI member!

Irene's ESCONI trilobite pin

John Good, Past President.  He has held many ESCONI Board Positions over the last 25 years.

Full house!

PBS Eons: How We Domesticated Cats (Twice) @EonsShow #cats

 

PBS Eons has a new episode and it's a great one for cat lovers!  It seems that cats have been domesticated twice and this is the story of Felis silvestris lybica.

A 9,500 year old burial in Cyprus represents some of the oldest known evidence of human/cat companionships anywhere in the world. But when did this close relationship between humans and cats start? And how did humans help cats take over the world? 

ESCONI Flashback Friday #26: Field Trip to Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #26.  If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to [email protected].  Thanks!

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Here are some pictures from a field trip to Dixon, IL on May 24th, 1958.  Field trips in the past were much more of a family affair.  Collecting fossils and picnics seem to go hand in hand...  If the pictures show anything, these were very social event.  Too bad there aren't just a few pictures of what they found... I'll have a few trilobites with my hot dogs and potato salad!  

 

 

M. Fether, D. Hoff, N. Witmer, D. Ade Dixon,IL 05-24-1959

Mike Moore, Kellys, Lampes, etc Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

Ades, Gelakoskis Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

V. Montgomery, N. Witmer, D. Hoff Dixon,IL 05-24-1959

Charlotte Montgomery Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

S. Barrick, Darrow, Witmer Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

Blooms, Bonows, Malotte Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

Dixon, IL 05-24-1959

 

 

ESCONI November Junior Meeting - Space and Fossils on November 8th, 2019

Does your child like space and fossils?

Bring them to our next junior meeting and we will expand their knowledge of both!

Friday November 8th,2019 at 7pm

College of DuPage

Technical Education Center West side room 1038B

Contact [email protected] with questions

Go to www.ESCONI.org for the map.

ESCONI November General Meeting - ESCONI 70th Birthday Celebration on November 8th, 2019

Come on out to the November General Meeting!  There will be cake, a slide show, and maybe some surprise guests!

 

Officers of the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

William H. Allaway	Chairman
Roy Beghtol	Vice-Chairman
Herb Beck	Recording Secretary
Jay E. Farr	Corresponding Secretary
Stevens T. Norvell	Treasurer
Mrs. Ethel Whitney	Historian Curator
B. J. Babbitt	Editor
Harry Nelson	Associate Editor

 

Active Membership	$2.00
Associate Membership	$1.25
Junior Membership	$0.75
Non Resident Membership	$1.25

Meetings on 2nd Friday of every month, except July and August, at 8:00 PM.  Visitors Welcome!

Phys.org: New way to date rocks

CC BY-SA 3.0

Phys.org has a post about a new way to date rocks.  Scientists at the University of Queensland have developed a way to date rocks by analyzing a silicate mineral known as garnet.  The method is detailed in a paper which appeared in the Journal GSA Bulletin.

A new way to date a common mineral could help pinpoint ore deposits and improve mineral exploration globally, according to University of Queensland scientists.

The researchers have identified a new reference material and used a state-of-the-art instrument to better date rock formations in central Asia.

UQ's Professor Jian-xin Zhao said the team started by analyzing a silicate mineral known as garnet, which then helped understand the accumulation of precious minerals such as gold, copper, lead zinc, silver and uranium.

"Garnet, which looks a little like the seeds of a pomegranate, is a challenging mineral to date but very common in volcanic mineral systems," Professor Zhao said.

"It forms when hot magma enters the subsurface of the Earth's crust and it gives us clues about other magmatic formations in the same area.

"Magmatic activity is a key Earth process and leads to mineralization—many of the world's major mineral districts including Australia's Mt Isa and Olympic Dam were formed during a long history of magmatic activities.

LiveScience: Meet 'Cold Dragon of the North Winds,' the Giant Pterosaur That Once Soared Across Canadian Skies #pterosaur

Live Science has a story about a new giant pterosaur.  The animal, Cryodrakon boreas (cold dragon of the north winds), was discovered in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada.  It is thought to have lived between 77 million to 74 million years ago.  The bones were originally found decades ago and were thought to be those of Quetzalcoatlus, a related azhdarchid pterosaur that was first discovered in Texas.  These findings were recently published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Millions of years ago, a flying reptile as big as an airplane took flight in what is now Canada. 

Now, this enormous species of giant pterosaur — part of a group known as azhdarchids — finally has a name: Cryodrakon boreas, drawing from the ancient Greek words that translate to "cold dragon of the north winds." 

Fossils of Cryodrakon boreas were found decades ago, and were thought to belong to another North American azhdarchid: Quetzalcoatlus, one of the biggest flying animals of all time. But the discovery of additional fossils in recent years told scientists that the fossils represented a newfound species, and the first new species of giant pterosaur found in Canada. 

Based on the size of one enormous neck bone thought to belong to an adult animal, the newly described pterosaur likely had a wingspan extending about 33 feet (10 meters) from tip to tip, making it comparable in size to its monstrous azhdarchid cousin Quetzalcoatlus, researchers reported in a new study.

ESCONI Events November 2019

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

Fri, Nov 8th	ESCONI Junior Meeting, 7:00 PM College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038A (Map) - Topic: "Space and Fossils"
Fri, Nov 8th	ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 PM College of Dupage - Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038A (Map) - Topic: "ESCONI 70th Birthday Celebration"
Mon, Nov 11th	Happy 70th Birthday ESCONI!
Sat, Nov 16th	ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting, 7:30 PM -Tech Ed (TEC) Building, Room 1038B (Map) - Topic: "Pontiac Crinoids" by ESCONI Member Tom Williams

ESCONI December 2019 Speaker is Dr. Thomas Cullen "Microsites to Macroinferences: a Multi-Scale Approach to Analyzing Dinosaur Paleoecology" #dinosaurs

Dr. Thomas Cullen, Post-Doctoral Research Scientist at the Field Museum. The title of his talk is: "Microsites to Macroinferences: a Multi-Scale Approach to Analyzing Dinosaur Paleoecology".

PBS Eons: Were These Monsters Inspired by Fossils? @EonsShow

 

PBS Eons has a new episode. This one is about monsters, more specifically the Cyclops.

People have been discovering the traces and remains of prehistoric creatures for thousands of years. And they’ve also probably been telling stories about fantastic beasts since language became a thing. So, is it possible that the monsters that populate our myths and legends were influenced by the fossil record? 

Check out Monstrum's full episode on Cyclops: https://youtu.be/s-pMfIWl4kI

 

ESCONI Flashback Friday #25: Ode to a Blob #MazonCreek #fossils

As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #25.  If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to [email protected].  Thanks!

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Rob Sula wrote this poem back in 2002.  Rob as 1st Vice-President from 2008-2014.  The poem is about Essexella asherae, the iconic Mazon Creek cnidarian.  While there was a recent paper about whether it is a jellyfish or a sea anemone, the consensus opinion is that it is a jellyfish.

ODE TO A BLOB    

Oh, lowly blob,
Whose grave I did not rob.

On the ground you sit
So round and nicely split.

Were you but a few.
I'd bend to pick up you.

But alas, you're not so rare.
And although I wish I'd care,
I left you lying there.

Rob Sula (2002)