Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Longest known continuous record of the Paleozoic discovered in Yukon wilderness #geology #fossil #paleontology #yukon #canada #paleozoic

Ordovician black shales of the Mount Hare Formation, Road River Group (approximately 465 million years old) rise above conglomerates of the Aberdeen Member. The dangerous rapids of Aberdeen Canyon (Nan Zhak Nadhàdlaii), created by the Peel River cutting through the resistant conglomerates, appear at bottom left. Credit: Erik Sperling

Phys.org has a story about ocean conditions in the early to mid Paleozoic Era.  Using a newly discovered contiguous geologic record of the Paleozoic Era discovered in Canada's Yukon, research, detailed in a recent paper in Science Advances, shows that the low oxygen ocean conditions of the Paleozoic lasted into the Devonian period, which is much longer than previously thought.  The research was aided by the newly discovered geologic sequence, which extends from the upper Cambrian to the mid Devonian, which makes it the longest known contiguous Paleozoic sequence.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, in the middle of what would eventually become Canada's Yukon Territory, an ocean swirled with armored trilobites, clam-like brachiopods and soft, squishy creatures akin to slugs and squid.

A trove of fossils and rock layers formed on that ancient ocean floor have now been unearthed by an international team of scientists along the banks of the Peel River a few hundred miles south of the Arctic's Beaufort Sea. The discovery reveals oxygen changes at the seafloor across nearly 120 million years of the early Paleozoic era, a time that fostered the most rapid development and diversification of complex, multi-cellular life in Earth's history.

"It's unheard of to have that much of Earth's history in one place," said Stanford University geological scientist Erik Sperling, lead author of a July 7 study detailing the team's findings in Science Advances. Most rock formations from the Paleozoic Era have been broken up by tectonic forces or eroded over time. "There's nowhere else in the world that I know of where you can study that long a record of Earth history, where there's basically no change in things like water depth or basin type."

Oxygen was scarce in the deep water of this and other oceans at the dawn of the Paleozoic, roughly 541 million years ago. It stayed scarce until the Devonian, roughly 405 million years ago, when, in a geological blink—no more than a few million years—oxygen likely rocketed to levels close to those in modern oceans and the diversity of life on Earth exploded. Big, predatory fish appeared. Primitive ferns and conifers marched across continents previously ruled by bacteria and algae. Dragonflies took flight. And all of this after nearly four billion years of Earth's landscapes being virtually barren.

Scientists have long debated what might have caused the dramatic shift from a low oxygen world to a more oxygenated one that could support a diverse web of animal life. But until now, it has been difficult to pin down the timing of global oxygenation or the long-term, background state of the world's oceans and atmosphere during the era that witnessed both the so-called Cambrian explosion of life and the first of Earth's "Big Five" mass extinctions, about 445 million years ago at the end of the Ordovician.

 

 

 

Park Ranger Stumbles Upon Treasure Trove of Several-Million-Year-Old Fossils in Northern California #California #fossil #paleontology #miocene #mastodon

The treasure trove discovery began when park ranger and naturalist Greg Francek from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) first stumbled upon a petrified forest while on patrol in the Mokelumne River Watershed, located in the Sierra Nevada. (Jason Halley, California State University, Chico)

Smithsonian Magazine has a story about the discovery of some Miocene fossils in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.  The eight million year old fossils were discovered by Park ranger and naturalist Greg Francek while patrolling the Mokelumne River Watershed.  The treasure trove consists of petrified wood, a mastodon skull, a rhino skeleton, a giant tortoise, and much more.

In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, paleontologists have uncovered a collection of fossils, including an eight-million-year-old mastodon skull with both tusks intact, a rhino skeleton, a giant tortoise, 600 petrified trees, and many more specimens. Dating back to the Miocene epoch, the site is considered one of the most significant fossil discoveries in California history, reports Andrew Chamings for SFGate.

"Few other fossil discoveries like this exist in California," says California State University paleontologist Russell Shapiro, to Ashley Gebb for Chico State Today.

Park ranger and naturalist Greg Francek from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) first stumbled upon a petrified forest while on patrol in the Mokelumne River Watershed, located in the Sierra Nevada, reports the Chico State Today.

"I looked around the area further, and I found a second tree," Francek says in a statement. "And then a third and so on. After finding dozens of trees, I realized that what I was looking at was the remains of a petrified forest."

After three weeks of surveying and uncovering more fossilized pieces of the forest, Francek found what appeared to be vertebrate fossils, Chico State Today reports. From there, EBMUD reached out to paleontologists and geologists from California State University, Chico, to take a closer look.

Fossil Friday #64: Cyclopteris orbicularis #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #illinois #plant #fossil

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #64.  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!

-----------------------------------------------------

Today we have a nice Cyclopteris orbicularis from the Mazon River.  This was collected a few years ago during one of the I&M Canal Corridor Fossil Trips.  Cyclopteris is associated with the mid-story seed ferns.  For more information, check out "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek" or have a look at Mazon Monday #59.

Throwback Thursday #66: It's In the Bag #history #TBT #ThrowbackThursday

This is Throwback Thursday #66.  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!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a little poem from the May 1958 edition of the ESCONI newsletter.  It's called "It's In the Bag" and was written by Donnafred Hoff.  Her husband, Wilbur "Doc" Hoff, was Vice President of ESCONI in 1958.  He was President in 1959.  We have a photo of them in April 1958.

IT'S IN THE BAG

Come on and buy a litter bag!
Oh, it may bulge and it may sag.

But it will hold an awful lot
Of almost everything you've got.

Much handier than any box
For road maps, fossils, gems or rocks.

Extra film or sunburn lotion,
Or other necessary potion.

Rain hat, sun shade, camera,
A bit of lunch, etcetra!

All your precious paraphernalia,
The rockhounds friend, it will not fail ya!

You need a pack horse for your swag?
Come on and buy a litter bag..

-- Donnafred Hoff --

This Fossil Field In Iowa Reveals A Prehistoric Landscape That's 375 Million Years Old #iowa #fossil #travel #devonian #paleontology #vacation #camping

TheTravel.com has a story about the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville, IA.  If you are traveling through Iowa this summer, stop at the Devonian Fossil Gorge just outside Iowa City, IA.  There's a place to rest and stretch your legs, have lunch, and explore the Devonian fossils uncovered by a flood back in 1993.

Just outside of Iowa City, Iowa, the Devonian Fossil Gorge is a seventh heaven for fossil lovers and families. Fascinated kids jump from rock to rock, exploring the strange textures of the sea creatures immortalized in limestone. Tadpoles and little frogs mesmerize children. For anyone passing through on I-80 or Iowa 1, this is the perfect place to stop and stretch legs, eat a picnic lunch, and explore. There are three nearby campgrounds for those who want to stay longer.

The fossils found near Coralville Lake date from the Devonian Period 375 million years ago. That's older than the oldest dinosaurs by about 200 million years. At the time, Iowa was a sea bed filled will marine life. The fossils that visitors can see now at the Devonian Fossil Gorge offer a window back in time, but they weren't always visible.

Geologists only discovered the treasure in 1993 when water from a devastating flood receded. Sand and soil washed away, uncovering the stones imprinted with fossils below. In 2008, the Iowa River flooded again, revealing even more ancient sea creatures.

 

Volunteers with Metal Detectors Needed #metaldetector #research #TWA #crash #Illinois #willowbrook #clarendonhills #history

On September 1, 1961, TWA Flight 529 crashed on the Willowbrook/Clarendon Hills border.  Seventy-three passengers and five crew members were killed.  The cause was deemed to be a mechanical failure leading to a loss of aircraft control.  The debris field stretched 200 feet by 1,100 feet.  Now a museum exhibit and a possible memorial are being developed to honor the victims of the crash.

 

We are seeking volunteers with metal detectors to comb the old debris field to see if any artifacts still can be found. If you are interested in contributing your time to this historical project, please contact Professor Keith Yearman of the College of DuPage at [email protected].

 

Submitted by Joe Kubal, ESCONI Member

 

ESCONI Field Trip to Starved Rock Clay Pit, July 24, 2021 #fieldtrip #fossil #Pennsylvanian

There will be a field trip to the Starved Rock Clay Pit on Saturday, July 24, 2021 from 8 AM to noon. The trip is shared with the Lincoln Orbit Earth Science Society (LOESS) of Springfield. 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, 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 (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 July 21, 2021. The ESCONI attendance limit is 20.
2. Meet at the entrance to the clay pit by the buildings. The entrance is on the east side of Rt 178 just north of Rt 71. It’s not right at the corner, but just a little closer to the park. Take a look on satellite view and you’ll see a couple buildings. We’ll drive between those and around the north tip of the pond to go back to the clay pit area closer to Rt 71. Please don’t use the other roads on the property. This is private property.
3. Bring and wear a hard hat and safety vest. Boots are required 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. If there is too much rain in the days leading up to the trip we will cancel.
7. Please review the ESCONI Code of Ethics and Conduct on the website. It applies to field trips like this one. An ESCONI liability waiver will be sent to those that sign up. You don’t need to sign it – just know what you’re agreeing to by attending.

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!

 

Mazon Monday #67: Species Spotlight - Trigonocarpus sp. #fossil #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #paleontology #illinois #plants #ferns #seedferns

This is Mazon Monday post #67.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

-----------------------------------------------------

Trigonocarpus sp. was described in 1825, by Alexandre Brongniart, who was a French chemist, mineralogist, geologist, paleontologist, and zoologist back in the early 1800's.  It is the seed part of an extinct order of plants called Medullosales.  In the Mazon Creek literature, they are commonly referred to as "Seed Ferns" and include some of the more recognizable species from the deposit.  This group includes Alethopteris, Odontopteris, Laveiniopteris, Neuropteris, and Macroneuropteris.  Wikipedia has a passage describing the seeds of this group.

Ovules in different medullosalean species could vary from maybe 1 cm to over 10 cm long - the latter being the largest known ovules produced by any non-angiosperm seed-plant.^[6] It was traditionally believed that the ovules were borne directly on the fronds, replacing one of the pinnules on the ultimate pinnae. However, there is a strong possibility that this reconstruction was based on the chance finds of ovules having been preserved just lying on a piece of pinna rather than in organic attachment to it. A number of cases are now coming to light that suggest that the seeds were borne in clusters on relatively slender, branching axes,^[7][8] and that these trusses of ovules would have been produced from the top of the trunk among the crown of fronds.

The seed megaspore was surrounded by two layers of tissue: a vascularised nucellus and a usually three-layered integument; the nucellus and integument were completely free except at the base of the ovule.^[9] There has been some debate as to the exact homologies of these tissues, and it has been argued that the vascularised nucellus was in fact the nucellus and integument that have become fused together, and that the 'integument' was homologous to a cupule that contained only one ovule.^[10]

Most medullosalean ovules preserved as casts or adpressions show three longitudinal ribs and are assigned to the fossil genus Trigonocarpus. When such ovules are preserved as petrifactions, they are assigned to the fossil genera Pachytesta or Stephanospermum, depending mainly on differences in the apical form of the ovule. Another group of medullosalean seeds, usually associated with parispermacean fronds (see later), have six longitudinal ribs and are referred to as Hexagonocarpus when found as adpressions or casts, and Hexapterospermum when found as petrifactions.

Jack Wittry has a description on pages 233 - 235 in "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek".

Trigonocarpus sp. Brongniart, 1825

epidermis and sarcotesta

DESCRIPTION: These seeds are large, radiospermic, and range from 7 mm to 6 cm in length. They are rounded at the base and taper gently from the middle toward the distal end where a small aperture may be found. In life, the seed was divided into layers. Starting from the outside toward the center are the epidermis, sarcotesta, sclerotesta, and endotesta (which surround the innermost nutshell-like nucellus layer), and are collectively known as the testa. The details of layer stuctures are known from permineralized examples, but they are difficult to deter mine in the authigenic cementation fossils found in the Mazon Creek area. The epidermis (see Fig. 1) is rarely found; it is generally seen free from the seed and appears as a distorted, tough, flat skin. Next is the sarcotesta (see Fig. 3), which quickly rots away and is seldom preserved. It was fleshy and sometimes grooved. Below this is the tough, fibrous, and, in some species, deeply grooved sclerotesta (see Figs. 4, 5). Below this layer is the most commonly found and recognizable part: the hard, shiny shell of the centermost female gametophyte called the nucellus (see Figs. 6 through 8). It often displays the three-part organization from which the seed gets its name.

REMARKS: Trigonocarpus is rare and the third most common seed taxon in the Mazon Creek flora. In North America, 43 species of Trigonocarpus have been described. When found as authigenic cementation fossils like those in concretions, they can display many different aspects, caused either by compression or desiccation, and depending on which layer of the seed is exposed. It is now believed that the species count is inflated and contains many synonymous names. From permineralized examples in coalball peels where complete seeds with better details can be observed, only 14 species have been described. Due to this fact, no attempt is made to describe species here.

George Langford had photos of each part of the seed in his 3rd book "Fossil Flora and Fauna of the Pennsylvanian Period, Will County, Illinois", which was unfortunately never published.

Specimens

A couple seeds from the Mazon River trip.  These were both collected in 2020.

Photo from ESCONI member George Witaszek, from Fossil Friday #62.

 

The real reason dinosaurs became extinct! #dinosaur #extinction #smoke

This ancient beetle is the first new species discovered in fossilized poop #fossil #coprolite #insect #beetle #NewMexico

This computer rendering of newly analyzed fossilized dung shows beetle remains (tan), beetle wing covers (orange), fungal fibers (gray) and algae (green).M. QVARNSTRÖM ET AL/CURRENT BIOLOGY 2021

sciencemag,com has a story about a new beetle species, Triamyxa coprolithica, discovered in a coprolite.  The fossil dates to about 230 million years ago.  Coprolites, which are fossilized dung, can be used to study what plants were eaten by herbivores back when the dung was deposited.  Previously, fossilized bone and phytoliths, which are microscopic silica structures made by some plants, have been found in coprilites, but this is the first time insect parts have been discovered.  Details can be found in a recent paper published in the journal Current Biology.

Beetles are everywhere—and new members of Earth’s most diverse group of organisms are being discovered nearly every day. Now, for the first time, scientists have found a new species in an unusual place: the fossilized poop of a dinosaur ancestor. Found whole and remarkably intact, the 230-million-year-old beetle, named Triamyxa coprolithica, is the first insect to be scientifically described from fossilized feces, also known as coprolites.

“This is very exciting research,” says Spencer Lucas, a paleontologist at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, who was not involved in the work. “This study is cutting edge and explores a whole new area of paleontology that has only been understood in the last decade.”

Coprolites are abundant in museum and research collections around the world. But until recently, Lucas says, few scientists examined these “little capsules of incredible fossil record” for their content, largely because researchers did not think small insects could successfully pass through a digestive system and end up in a recognizable form. Instead, paleontologists got most of their information about insect evolution from unlucky ones trapped in amber, or fossilized tree resin. But these fossils aren’t very old, geologically speaking: The most ancient ones date back to about 140 million years ago.

Fossil Friday #63: Paleocaris typus #fossil #FossilFriday #shrimp #MazonCreek #illinois

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #63.  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!

-----------------------------------------------------

Back in Mazon Monday #65, we highlighted Paleocaris typus. Today, we have a specimen from Pit 11.  This fossil was found in March 2021 and opened via freeze/thaw in May 2021.  It was collected by ESCONI member Rich Holm.  If you look close, you'll see the diagnostic telson, which indicates this to be a Paleocaris typus.  The following drawing is by Don Auler and comes from "ESCONI Keys to Mazon Creek Animals".

Specimen photos

 

Throwback Thursday #65: Rockhound's Plight #History #rocks #TBT #ThrowbackThursday

This is Throwback Thursday #65.  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!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This week, we have two poems from the July/August 1964 issue of the newsletter.  The first is called the "Rockhound's Plight" and comes from a husband lamenting complaints from his wife.  The second is the wife's answer.  These were originally published in the Des Moines Treasure Chest and were written by Leona Leonard.  Unfortunately, no details could be found for an Des Moines Iowa rock club with a newsletter called the "Treasure Chest".  If you have and information, please pass it along!

ROCKHOUNDS PLIGHT

Gather 'round me, Hear my story;
  I'm a Rockhound in distress
I'm a Rockhound bathed in trouble;
  I'm an outcast, more or less.

I have fossils in the kitchen,
  I have crystals in the hall,
I have minerals in the bathtub,
  I have relics on the wall.

I have tin-oxide on the carpet,
  I have oil upon the floor,
I have black light in the parlor,
  I have bones behind the door..

Attic rooms are fairly sagging,
  Books pove the cellar floor,
Pockets bulge with gummy places,
  All of this and millions more.

Wifey thinks that I am goofy-
  I don't know, she may be. right,
She insiste I've silicosis
  Or some contagious for of 'ite'.

Says my head is lined with agate,
  A freak replacement of the bone;
Says my brain is just a nodule,
  Says my heart has turned to stone.

Threatens me with separation,
  Storms about our Rock-bound home,
Says life to me is just a Geode,
  Or hunk of mammal bone.

Are you rated as a fossil?
  Are you obliged to live alone?
How do you maintain a hobby
  And still maintain a Happy Home?"

-- Des Moines Treasure Chest -- 

 

AN ANSWER TO "A ROCKHOUNDS PLIGHT"

Listen to me Mr. Fossil,
  Throw your troubles out the door!
Make a Rockhound out of Wifey,
  You'll have peace forever more.

Take her to a jolly rock hunt,
  Attend a meeting with her too,
Help her find a few choice pebbles,
  She may even trade a few.

Soon the Rockhound bug will bite her,
  She'll forget the oily floors.
She may add to bone collections,
  And make it hard to open that door.

She'll read your books, and polish Agates,
  Threats will now be in the past.
Attend conventions, beg for rock hunts,
  You've a Mrs. Rockhound, hard and fast.

-- by Leona Leonard from the Treasure Chest --