Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Trilobite Tuesday #13: Trilobite Conga Line #trilobite #fossils #TrilobiteTuesday

This is Trilobite Tuesday post #13.

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Clues to animal behavior are very rare in the fossil record.  However, a Moroccan fossil of 22 small trilobites might provide some of the earliest evidence.  These trilobites lived about 480 million years ago.  And, their lineup might be a display of complex social behavior long before it was expected.  The details appear in a paper published in Scientific Reports back in October 2019.

Smithsonian Magazine has a nice report on the fossil here.

Around 541 million years ago during a period called the Cambrian Explosion, lots of new animal species appeared in the world’s oceans, sporting evolutionary upgrades like skeletons and nervous systems. Prior to this period, there’s no evidence of group behavior in animals because Precambrian life lacked nervous systems, as the study’s first author Jean Vannier, a researcher at the University of Lyon, tells Ferreira.

During another biodiversity bloom called the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event about 100 million years later, Ampyx priscus entered the scene. Though the little arthropods were blind, the trilobites were likely able to stay in line by sensing each other’s rearward facing spines or by using chemical cues, according to a press release.

The researchers hypothesize that the creatures intentionally formed the line while swarming across the seafloor during migration or during mating season. “Given the scale of the patterns seen, this consistent linearity and directionality is unlikely to be the result of passive transportation or accumulation by currents,” the researchers conclude in their study.

This isn’t the first line of the little trilobites ever discovered, reports Michael Greshko at National Geographic. In 2008, researchers uncovered a similar line of the prehistoric arthropods. However, those paleontologists suspected the trilobites were likely lined up in a burrow, avoiding detection by a nearby predator when they were buried and fossilized. Other researchers have suggested that ocean currents deposited the arthropods in a line before they were fossilized. Vannier says that when they excavated the fossil in Zagora, Morocco, they did not see any evidence that the animals were in a burrow. The fact that they were all in the same high state of preservation indicates that the trilobites were probably all buried in sediment at once—not gradually deposited by ocean currents over time.

(CNRS / ENS de Lyon / Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1)

 

Mazon Monday #14: Species Spotlight: Essexella asherae #MazonCreek #fossils #MazonMonday #jellyfish

This is Mazon Monday post #14. 

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Essexella asherae, Species Spotlight

Essexella asharae is the most common animal fossil you will find in the Mazon Creek biota.  In the Essex biota, it has been estimated to be over 40% of finds.  Specimens come in many forms with varied preservation.  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.  The original paper describing Essexella is called "Soft-bodied coelenterates in the Pennsylvanian of Illinois" and was published in 1979 by M. W. Foster.  It was included in the book "Mazon Creek Fossils", which was edited by M. H. Nitecki.

Here is just a few of the many specimens from Pit 11 and Braceville that I have been found over the years.

Rob Sula wrote the poem "Ode to a Blob" back in 2002.  Rob was 1st Vice-President from 2008-2014.

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)

The Creature Corner article appeared in May 1988 and surprisingly was entitled "The Blob".

The Blob (Jellyflsh)

Many are the creatures first discovered In Mazon Creek area concretions, Many are eagerly hunted. Many are truly one-of-a-kind specimens. Many are rare In the fossil record, much sought after by a small army of collectors.

NOT THE BLOB!

What Is this fossil creature that evokes such disdain among concretion hunters? It is a Jellyfish: but being a jellyfish Is not the reason that experienced fossil collectors were and are loath to take the concretion home. Picture yourself on the spoil heaps of Pit 11, prior to their being leveled. Before you rise the slopes - three stories high - a mile long with huge furrows In the Earth. You notice that collectors climb over and past some hills that are virtually paved with Iron slderite concretions. This Is what you have come here to collect. Bucket after bucket Is filled -taken home -and split. All you have are BLOBS! Therein lies the answer -super abundance. How many blobs can a person collect and save?

Jellyfish Blobs as seen on Pit 11 concretions appear as a circular or extended oval color difference on the split concretion. Many have one end slightly flattened and, occasionally, tentacles are seen. The blob may be slightly above the plane of the split concretion. When first brought to scientific attention, some workers considered the blob to be "an artifact of preservation", a pseudo fossil. Literally thousands of blobs with identical configurations doomed that assessment. The warm tropical seas of that period much have been as ideal a habitat for jellyfish as are the tropical seas of today.

Jellyfish are members of the Phylum Coelenterata. Blobs/jellyfish from Pit 11 are placed in the genera Essexella and Reticulomedusa. Both are animals of the Essex fauna, Francis Creek Shale, Carbondale Formation, Middle Pennsylvanian in age.

Strip mines near Peoria, Illinois that mined coal from that same unit have concretions bearing blobs in their spoil heaps. Coelentrate-like fossils have been discovered among the Precambrian Ediacaran fauna of southern Australia and the Cambrian Burgess shale fauna of western Canada.

Andrew A. Hay

“Enigmatic and Strange” – 300-Million-Year-Old Fish Resembles a Sturgeon, but With Key Differences #fossils #fish #Pennsylvannian #Carboniferous

A re-examination of a 300-million-year-old fish, Tanyrhinichthys mcallisteri, revealed that its lifestyle more closely resembled that of the bottom-dwelling sturgeon, rather than the stealthy pike, as was previously believed. University of Pennsylvania researchers, led the study of the “enigmatic and strange fish.” Credit: Nobu Tamura

SciTechDaily has a piece about an interesting fossil fish.  Called Tanyrhinichthys mcallisteri, it lived about 300 million years ago in what is now New Mexico.  The new study, published in the journal Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, found the species' lifestyle was more like bottom-dwelling sturgeon, rather than the stealthy pike, as previously believed.

Sturgeon, a long-lived, bottom-dwelling fish, are often described as “living fossils,” owing to the fact that their form has remained relatively constant, despite hundreds of millions of years of evolution.

In a new study in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, researchers led by Jack Stack, a 2019 University of Pennsylvania graduate, and paleobiologist Lauren Sallan of Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, closely examine the ancient fish species Tanyrhinichthys mcallisteri, which lived around 300 million years ago in an estuary environment in what is today New Mexico. Although they find the fish to be highly similar to sturgeons in its features, including its protruding snout, they show that these characteristics evolved in a distinct evolutionary path from those species that gave rise to modern sturgeons.

The find indicates that, although ancient, the features that enabled Tanyrhinichthys to thrive in its environment arose multiple times in different fish lineages, a burst of innovation that was not previously fully appreciated for fish in this time period.

“Sturgeon are considered a ‘primitive’ species, but what we’re showing is that the sturgeon lifestyle is something that’s been selected for in certain conditions and has evolved over and over again,” says Sallan, senior author on the work.

PBS Eons: When Dinosaurs Chilled in the Arctic #paleontology #dinosaurs

 

Check out the new PBS Eons episode over on Youtube.  This one is about dinosaurs in the Arctic.

All told, the Arctic in the Cretaceous Period was a rough place to live, especially in winter. And yet, the fossils of many kinds of dinosaurs have been discovered there. So how were they able to survive in this harsh environment?

ESCONI Field Trip to to Belvidere Quarry - Sunday, July 26, 2020 #FieldTrip #Ordovician

There will be a field trip to a quarry near Belvidere, Illinois on Sunday, July 26, 2020, from 9AM to 12 noon.

 

The rock is Ordovician, Galena Group. This is a "hard-rock" quarry (dolomite). If you like Hormotoma or Receptaculites, this is the place for you! The quarry has been active so there is new rock exposed.

 

Note that if Boone County reverts back to phase 3 before the date of the field trip, then the trip will be cancelled.

 
Rules
 
1. Everyone in your group MUST be an ESCONI member as of July 23, 2020.
 
2. Everyone in your group MUST be at least 18 years of age.

3. Everyone MUST have and wear a hard hat, safety vest, and sturdy boots while in the quarry. No sandals, tennis shoes, and the like. No claw hammers or roofing hammers - use only rock hammers. If you plan on hammering then bring eye protection and wear it.

4. Everyone MUST have a face mask. This is a quarry and social distancing should not be a problem, but if you are within 6 feet of anyone, wear the mask. You will not get in if you do not have a mask. You must make the decision for yourself if being with a group of people in a quarry is the right place for you to be right now. If you are sick, do not attend.
 
5. Sign up by sending me (Dave) an email with the number of members attending and their names. My email is [email protected]   No phone calls please. Do not call the quarry.
 
6. I will acknowledge by return email. If you don't get a reply in 24 hours, send it again!
 
7. Maximum attendance by ESCONI members is 30.

8. Please review the Code of Ethics and Conduct on the ESCONI website. You will be expected to check-in at the quarry. By doing so you agree to follow the Code of Ethics and the conditions on the ESCONI Liability and Waiver form (sent by email to those that sign up). You do not need to print out the ESCONI waiver form, just know what you’re agreeing to. There may be an additional waiver from the quarry.

   
    The address of the quarry is 4525 Irene Road, Belvidere, Illinois.

    I will distribute the waiver forms by email to those signed up just before the trip.
 
    Questions? Send me an email...
  

Fossil Friday #12: Ammonites from Kansas #fossils #fossil #FossilFriday #Ammonite

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #10.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected].  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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How about some pictures of ammonites from Kansas?  The following are Tainoceras.  Here's a reconstruction from Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

Seen here is a model-based reconstruction of life on an ancient seafloor during the Pennsylvanian Period - the "Age of Coal Swamps". This is a public exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From exhibit signage: Pennsylvania: a Tropical Paradise? Between 286 and 320 million years ago, the Pennsylvanian Period, North America straddled the equator. The Pittsburgh/Tri-State area was a land of tropical forests, beaches, and vast seas. The waters were warm and rich with life. The sea level repeatedly rose and fell, due to plate movement and collisions, periodically covering large parts of North America. The organisms shown above lived in these relatively shallow seas of less than 200 feet deep. The coastal areas teemed with micro-organisms. Distant relatives of today's sponges, corals, bryozoans, crinoids, and molluscs inhabited the bottom along with now exinct trilobites and ammonites, while primitive fishes swam above. Sediments eroded from the young Appalachian Mountains were washed into the shallow seas. There, marine limestones, sandstones, and shales formed, often preserving as fossils the remains of many dead organisms. Also buried were millions of micro-organisms, which through heat and pressure were transformed into the fossil fuels, oil and gas, that serve the world today. The squid in the coiled shell is a Tainoceras nautiloid cephalopod. The fish are palaeoniscoids called Amphicentrum. The greenish, weed-like things are algae. The tapered structures in the upper left background are Caninia rugose corals ("horn corals"). The light brown-colored seashells at lower right are Trigonotreta spiriferid brachiopods. The seashells near the lower left are Aviculopecten scallops (bivalves).

These specimens were found in Permian strata in northeastern Kansas.

Throwback Thursday #13: Field Museum Photo Archives @FieldMuseum #TBT @SUEtheTrex #history #FieldMuseum

This is Throwback Thursday #13.  In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general.  If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected].  Thanks!

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I recently found a Field Museum Tumblr blog called "Field Museum Photo Archives".  It has many great photos from the history of the Field Museum.  The photos range from SUE, to the Columbian Exposition in 1893, to the move to the current location in 1920.  There are many, many, interesting photos... with great commentary.  Unfortunately, the blog hasn't been update since 2015, but the resource is still out there to enjoyed!

 

© The Field Museum, GEO86295, Photographer John Weinstein.

SUE T.rex skull anterior view without lower jaws, on white background. Geology specimen PR2081

4x5 negative 

4/13/2000

© The Field Museum, GN78508.

Opening Day crowds. Field Columbian Museum June 2, 1894

6/2/1894 

© The Field Museum, CSGN40514, Photographer Charles Carpenter.

Thirteen (13) men including Security Guard unloading dorsal vertebrae of Apatosaurus fossils. Parts of a skeleton in several wood crates or exhibit cases, outside new Field Museum building. Museum move series.

5x7 glass negative

4/26/1920

© The Field Museum, GN79197.

Artist Paul Banks with his vivid pastel chalk painting called Arrangement of Animal Symbols. He is a first year student at Art Institute. Miss Ethel Spears is his instructor teacher.

8x10 negative

4/16/1956 

© The Field Museum, GN78722.

Stanley Field Hall with students. Shows several girls and a few boys with their teachers (nuns in habit), Penicillin exhibit, wood benches, girl touching one of the elephants legs, displayed at floor level, looking towards south staircase, Akeley Lion Spearing Bronze sculpture in background.

8x10 negative 

4/16/1948 

 

 

First Soft-Shelled Dinosaur Egg Fossils Found #dinosaurs #eggs #Nature

A fossilized Mussaurus egg that was the subject of one of two new studies documenting soft-shelled eggs at the time of the dinosaurs. Mussaurus was a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that grew to 20 feet in length and lived in modern-day Argentina between 227 and 208.5 million years ago. (Diego Pol)

A side view of the fossil of the giant soft-shelled egg found in Antarctica. (Legendre et al. 2020)

Smithsonian Magazine has a story about dinosaur eggs.  Nature had two articles that found evidence that dinosaur eggs were soft-shelled.  The first study found evidence of soft-shelled eggs by analyzing fossilized Protoceratops and Mussaurus egg shells.  The evidence suggests eggs similar to those of turtles.  The second paper identified an enigmatic fossil, commonly referred to as "The Thing", as a soft-shelled egg from a mosasaur.

The new evidence that some dinosaurs and their extinct reptilian contemporaries laid eggs without hard shells helps explain the rarity of eggs in the first half of the fossil record, according to the Times. Soft shells tend to rot away quickly, which would have made it less likely for them to fossilize. Both finds may have implications for the reproductive evolution of dinosaurs and ancient reptiles.

Chilean paleontologists found “The Thing” in Antarctica in 2011. It was a fossil the size of a football that had a crinkled exterior that made it look deflated. The researchers who had collected The Thing couldn’t tell what it was, reports Nell Greenfieldboyce of NPR. But when paleontologist Julia Clarke of the University of Texas at Austin saw its rumpled surface, she knew just what she was looking at.

Trilobite Tuesday #12: Trilobite Fakes #trilobite #fossils #TrilobiteTuesday

This is Trilobite Tuesday post #12.

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This is a completely faked trilobite assemblage, with all individual trilobites made of resin on an underlying plastic film and all mounted on real limestone matrix; the castings are of: Leonaspis, Walliserops, Crotalocephalus, Paralejurus, and something unidentified on top (left image), and Odontochile, Psychopyge, Phacops and Scutellum (right image). Photography: Sonntag, specimens owned and sawed up by Burkhard.

If you love trilobites and want to own some of the more charismatic species, you probably will have to purchase a few.  There are numerous shows where you can find vendors that will sell specimens from all over the world.  And, while we all want to trust these vendors, it makes sense to know what you are buying.  That's when the Fake Trilobite page over at the Virtual Fossil Museum comes in handy.

The figure shows a primitive and poor fake phacops trilobite that was entirely cast from resin and then remounted on actual limestone matrix. A) Prevalent are tiny holes in the resin surface of the trilobite exoskeleton are readily visible. They resulted from air bubbles bursting as the resin cured, and constitute the unmistakable signature of fakery. B) This close-up of the pleural spines show the tell-tale holes. C) This close-up of a faked Dicanurus trilobite shows where both the trilobite and immediately juxtaposed matrix were cast together prior to remounting in matrix. In this case the color is an additional clue since the matrix should be a dark grey limestone, rather than the unnatural brown seen here.

They have a great tutorial that explains what signs to look for when you are ready to purchase that next awesome specimen you come across.  They actually sacrifice specimens looking for fakes.  Sometimes by even cutting them in half!  And, in doing that lay bare the methods used to create fake fossils.

We have as trilobite collectors and preparators visited numerous fossil shows and carefully observed and studied faked trilobites. This experience and knowledge acquired over many years affords us the ability to quickly identify faked specimens, a task that is likely precluded for laymen who are unfamiliar with how fake trilobites are fabricated, and therefore unable to spot the cues of fakery. It is unfortunate that, at this time in 2003, the trilobite market is inundated with fakes, and as the skills of those plying the trade are continuously improving, making it ever harder to distinguish real from fake. Accordingly, we are compelled to share in a comprehensible way our experiences in recognizing fake trilobites.

We also note that there is no way to have trilobites vetted for authenticity in commercial venues, such as the internet, especially e-bay, in shops or at shows, and no actions are taken against sellers who knowingly sell fake material (i.e., like exclusion from shows and/or legal action). The environment facilitates some dealers in taking advantage, to the detriment of those who are honest. Horst Burkard undertook to investigate the multiplicity of fake trilobites coming from Morocco by the ultimate means of dissecting them with a saw. The results of the destructive investigation were displayed during the Hamburg Fossil Show in 2003, which allowed the photos in this article to be taken.

These are additional examples of fake Homalonotida trilobites from Morocco, A: Red strips denote the resin between assembled pleurae. Apparently, the right side of the pygidium had been broken off, and thus, the right pleurae were shortened in order to mimic that the trilobite was still partially buried inside the matrix. B: This vertical cut through the axis of the trilobite reveals areas made of resin, the whole thorax, free cheeks and the anterior border, which are marked in red. C) : In this sawed up spiny Homalonotid, the spines are small Orthoceras. Real trilobite parts appear yellowish while the resin areas appear grey. It was also evident that ground rock was mixed with plaster and used in some areas.

By the way, the Virtual Fossil Museum is a great resource!

Mazon Monday #13: Species Spotlight: Belotelson magister #MazonCreek #fossils #MazonMonday #shrimp

This is Mazon Monday post #13.  

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Belotelson magister, Species Spotlight

Belotelson magister is the most common crustacean/shrimp fossil in the Mazon Creek biota.  They can be found fairly readily and can range from a partial, to a molt, and sometimes even a full body.  Most of the shrimps found in Pit 11 are Belotelsons.  It was described way back in 1886 in material from what was probably the Mazon River.

Example fossils are below.

Molts

Here is the text from Creature Corner.  It appeared in the ESCONI bulletin in June 1986.

Belotelson magister is the most abundant arthropod at Pit 11.

Two thirds of all the Essex crustaceans found are this species. Yet less than 25 years ago, only three specimens were known since their first recorded discovery in the Mazon Creek area during the 1880s.

Literally·"thousands" of concretions containing parts of complete specimens of this species have been found in the Essex (marine environment) portion of Pit 11. The most common remains, by far, of Belotetson magister are cast-off exoskeletons (molds).

A puzzle underlies this last statement. It has been noted that concretions containing parts and pieces of this shrimp are extremely common. Concretions bearing portions of other Mazon Creek shrimp are rather uncommon. In ensuing years concretions enclosing Belotelson magister have been discovered in Francis Creek shale at other locations in Illinois.

Belotelson magister was rather large compared to other Carboniferous crustaceans. The carapace on some specimens measures two inches in length. It had well developed walking legs, large antennae, and a large fan-tail. General form, body structure, and walking legs suggest a creature with living habits not unlike the modern crayfish. Bottom dwelling, an opportunistic feeder, scavenger or carnivore, to suit the occasion.

-- Andrew A. Hay

 

New Bird-Like Dinosaur Discovered: Overoraptor chimentoi #birds #dinosaurs

Life reconstruction of Overoraptor chimentoi. Image credit: Gabriel Lio.

SciNews has a story about a new bird-like dinosaur.  Discovered in Argentina, Overoraptor chimentoi lived about 90 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, in what is now Patagonia.  All the details on this dinosaur can be read in a paper published in the journal Nature.

The fossilized remains of Overoraptor chimentoi were recovered from the beds of the Huincul Formation in the Patagonian province of Rio Negro. The specimens were found in association with crocodilian and turtle bones.

“There are characteristics that distinguish Overoraptor chimentoi from the unenlagiid theropods of Argentina as well as from non-South American raptors such as Velociraptor,” said Dr. Fernando Novas, also from the CONICET and the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences ‘Bernardino Rivadavia.’

“When analyzing its arms, we found avian features related to the flight. This leads us to consider that in a phylogenetic tree, Overoraptor chimentoi is closer to birds than most of the raptors known so far.”

“Our hypothesis is that in the case of Overoraptor chimentoi, its ability to automatically fold the wings must have had a different function than it does in flying birds, given it is a running animal,” Motta added.

“It is possible that the dinosaur’s arms had the role of guaranteeing balance during the race — by providing greater balance and precision — thanks to the possibility of moving them in a consistent manner, as happens in running birds such as the rhea or ostriches.”

PBS Eons: The World Before Plate Tectonics #geology #PlateTectonics

 

There's a new episode of PBS Eons.  This one is about plate tectonics and how they got started.  Ever hear of super continent Nuna?  The video of plate movement is very cool!

There was a time in Earth’s history that was so stable, geologists once called it the Boring Billion. But the fact is, this period was anything but boring. In fact, it set the stage for our modern version of plate tectonics - and probably for the rise of life as we know it.

Fossil Friday #11: Mazon Creek Ferns #fossils #fossil #MazonCreek #FossilFriday

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #10.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected].  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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Here are some nice Mazon Creek ferns.  Most of these were meant to be available at the ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show back in March 2020.  And, the good news is they should be available at our next show!

Throwback Thursday #12: George Langford Night, June 13th, 1958 #MazonCreek #TBT #fossils

This is Throwback Thursday #12.  In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general.  If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected].  Thanks!

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June 13th, 1958 was George Langford Night.   It celebrated the publication of "Fossil Flora and Fauna of the Pennsylvanian Period, Will County, Illinois", which was the first of three Langford books on Mazon Creek flora and fauna.  The books can be found online on the georgesbasement.com website.  There are also lecture and field notes.  It's a great resource.  The books were conceived as a field guide for collectors of Mazon Creek fossils.  Here is how George Langford Jr. describes the conception on the georgesbasement site.

Many collectors had followed us at the strip mines and were acquiring fine specimens, but they didn't know what they were. Expensive scientific books had been published and were available at scientific libraries, but these books were both figuratively and financially out of reach of the average, local collector. A group of collectors belonging to the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (ESCONI) often visited Father's office at the Field Museum, and the idea of a "field guide to fossil plants," similar to Roger Tory Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds" was born. ESCONI offered to bear the publishing expense, the museum was agreeable to the venture, and Father went to work.
In June, 1958, ESCONI published Father's first book on fossil plants, "The Wilmington Coal Flora from a Pennsylvanian Deposit in Will County, Illinois." This book was a success, filling the need for which it was designed, and so ESCONI increased their association with the Field Museum and with Father.

Father continued to make collecting trips with Gene Richardson of the Field Museum and with his fellow collector, Dr. Whitfield. They kept finding new species and rare specimens, and the material for a second book was accumulating.

So, in June 1963, ESCONI, again with the approval of the museum, published Father's second fossil plant book, "The Wilmington Coal Fauna and Additions to the Wilmington Coal Flora from a Pennsylvanian Deposit in Will County, Illinois." This second book was also a financial success. Father continued to collect occasionally, ESCONI continued their association, and other collectors began to send their collections to the museum. Material built up for a third book, and again ESCONI offered to publish it.

The pictures below are a who's who of early Mazon Creek history.  Of course there's George Langford, Sr., but also included are John McCluckie, Dr. Whitford, and Dr. Hoff.  What a night that must have been!

Fred & Stella Barrick, O Fether, George Langford Night, June 13th, 1958

Dr, Whitford, George Langford, George Langford Night, June 13th, 1958

John McLuckie and George Gelakoskis, George Langford Night, June 13th, 1958

George Langford and Doc Hoff, June 13th, 1958

 

Reminder: PBS Prehistoric Road Trip #fossils #dinosaurs @Ehmee @FieldMuseum

 

PREHISTORIC ROAD TRIP is a new three-part series exploring prehistoric life across the western United States, premiering Wednesdays starting June 17-July 1 on PBS. 

Emily Graslie, Chief Curiosity Correspondent for the Field Museum is executive producer, host, and writer for the series, and spent 8 weeks on the road during the summer of 2019 filming at more than 30 sites and conducting dozens of interviews with scientists, museum professionals, educators, and others to bring viewers along on an epic journey through millions of years of Earth's history. 

• Episode 1: "Welcome to Fossil Country" (Wednesday, June 17 10/9c) Eager to get going, Emily embarks on a journey through billions of years of Earth history. Along the way, she meets some of the planet’s earliest life forms–from primitive bacteria to giant reptiles, and many surprising creatures in between.
• Episode 2: "We Dig Dinosaurs" (Wednesday, June 24 10/9c) Emily cruises into the Cretaceous, where astonishing creatures like T. rex dominated the planet. But what happened to these tremendous animals? And how did other lifeforms survive an apocalyptic asteroid that crashed into Earth 66 million years ago?
• Episode 3: "Tiny Teeth; Fearsome Beasts" (Wednesday, July 1 10/9c) As she drives closer to the present day, Emily discovers surprising truths written in the fossil record. Meantime, scientists studying our planet’s past are revealing clues about its future.

You can watch on PBS stations Nationwide as part of PBS's "Trailblazers" initiative, and stream on pbs.org, on PBS member station websites (like WTTW.com), and on the PBS app on your smart TV, tablet or phone.

 

More information about the program can be found in the attached press release.

 

Thanks for tuning in, and if you'd like to share with your friends, family, and social media followers, please tag @WTTW, @PBS, and/or use the hashtag #PrehistoricRoadTripPBS. 

 

 

Trilobite Tuesday #11: Richard Fortey on Palaeocast #trilobite #fossils #TrilobiteTuesday

This is Trilobite Tuesday post #11.

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If you have most than a passing interest in trilobites, you've certainly heard of Richard Fortey.  He's one of the foremost researchers of trilobites in the world.  He fell in love with trilobites at age 14.  He's appeared in a bunch of BBC nature programs in recent years and written numerous books on paleontology, including one of my favorites "Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution" in 2000.  He appeared on episode 18 of Palaeocast.  If you like podcasts and trilobites, check it out... it's a very informative episode!

Trilobites are one of the most instantly recognisable groups of fossils. They were present from the very start of the Paleozoic and went on the fill a great number of ecological roles before going extinct at the Permo-Triassic mass extinction event 252 million years ago. They ranged from the very small to the very large, from the most basic appearance to the most elaborately ornamented.

We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak to Prof. Richard Fortey of the Natural History Museum, London, all about trilobite morphology and ecology.

Despite having such a simple appearance (dorsally at least), there is a great amount of variation that can be built into the number of segments, relative proportions of each tagma and location of spines. These small differences contribute to the recognition of approximately 17,000 individual species.  Copyright of Peter Cameron. All rights reserved.

The physical characteristics of trilobites are often used to infer how each species lived; morphology to infer ecology. Dense pustulation (lumps and bumps) have been suggested to protect the carapace from abrasion. Feeding habits can also be inferred from the ventral feeding plate, the hypostome, and the glabella and their positioning relative to each other. Copyright of Peter Cameron. All rights reserved.

Dicranurus monstrosus possesses large, ornate spines, which may potentially serve a purpose other than just protection. Copyright of Peter Cameron. All rights reserved.

This trilobite possesses the more advanced schizochroal eye, this one expanded dorsally, to give an even better view of the sea floor. Modifications in other trilobites even include sun-shades to isolate the lenses from immediate light from above. Copyright of Peter Cameron. All rights reserved.

 

Mazon Monday #12: Tully: Monster vs Method #TullyMonster #MazonCreek #fossils #MazonMonday

This is Mazon Monday post #12.

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This video by the Field Museum details some of the modern research methods used to study the Tully Monster fossils, and actually many of the other fossils in the FM collection.  This research led to the conclusions that you have heard a few years ago... the Tully Monster is a vertebrate.  That result was reiterated back in March 2020 with another paper in the journal Nature.

Tully: Monster vs Method from Field Museum on Vimeo.

 

June is Limestone Month in Indiana #indiana #limestone #geology

June is Limestone Month in Indiana!  Who knew?   Their Facebook page has a bunch of videos and information.  The first event was back in 2009.  Read about it here.

When you stop and think about it, limestone is the very foundation of Indiana. Not only is it found in most buildings on Indiana University’s campus and many buildings around the state (I even grew up in a limestone house in Muncie), it is below the surface in a big strip along southern Indiana.

So it’s only appropriate that June 2009 is the first-ever Limestone Month celebration, as designated by the Lawrence County Tourism Commission and the Bloomington-Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau. They’re celebrating it in Lawrence County and nearby areas. In fact, Lawrence County is known as the Limestone Capital of the World, since limestone from the county was used to build the Empire State Building, and most recently, the new Yankee Stadium.

The famous stone belt in South Central Indiana runs from Stinesville in Monroe County to Bedford in Lawrence County.

“Lawrence County’s limestone quarries, architecture and artistic carvings are well known,” said Dave Branneman, executive director of the Lawrence County Tourism Commission. “Limestone Month will celebrate limestone history and a variety of events, tours and exhibits are scheduled all month long.”

For upcoming events, hint Thursday June 18th 2020 from 11:30 to 12:00 PM, go here.

Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 11:30 AM – 12 PM EDT

 

Public  · Hosted by Indiana Geological and Water Survey

 

Online Event

 

Join IGWS Outreach Coordinator Polly Sturgeon for a behind-the-scenes look at the Indiana Limestone Photograph Collection. Learn how the collection has been curated and see our favorite photos. This virtual program will be presented via Facebook Live! You will be able to participate by commenting and asking questions in real-time.

Please click "going" on this page event to receive a reminder 1 hour before the program.

 

The Brain Scoop: Going out on a limb for Quetzalcoatlus #FieldMuseum #pterosaurs #fossils

 

There's a new episode of "The Brain Scoop".  It was made as part of the new PBS series "Prehistoric Road Trip".  This one is about the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus.

Quetzalcoatlus was the largest flying animal of all time. But this extraordinary animal is known from only a handful of bones; a complete skeleton has never been found. So how do scientists know what it looked like?

Check out Joe's video on how these giants took to the skies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4kA...

 

Fossil Friday #10: A Mazon Creek Scorpion! #fossils #fossil #scorpion #MazonCreek #FossilFriday

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #10.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected].  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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This beauty was contributed by Phil Anderson.  He found it in Pit 11 during the summer of 2019.  It's one of the most amazing fossils to see.  Everything is there!  As Phil tells it, he picked it up thinking it was a jelly.  When he got home and cleaned it, a scorpion was looking up at him.  I probably don't need to say it, but these are extremely rare.  Scorpions make up about 15% of the arachnids, which are already a very rare group.  Who says nothing significant is ever found in Pit 11 anymore?!?