Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

The Oldest Airborne Vertebrate Animal Was a Reptile With ‘Weird’ Wings #reptile #fossil #paleontology #permian

Scientists pulled this weigeltisaurid fossil out of an outcropping of copper shale in Germany in 1992. Now, Smithsonian paleontologists have fully described this animal, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding through air. Pritchard et al. 2021

Smithsonian Magazine has a story about the first flying vertebrate.  The fossil of Weigeltisaurus jaekeli was found in 1992 in Germany.  It lived during the Permian Period over 250 million years ago.  A new full analysis of the specimen was recently published in the journal PeerJ.  Where the researchers theorize that the bony rods supported winglike membranes for gliding, similar to some modern day squirrels. Interestingly, his species was first described in 1930 with other specimens known from England, Russia, and Madagascar.

The fossil hunter found the strange skeleton by splitting pieces of shale, cracking the fossil into two slabs. One slab ended up in the hands of a private collector and likely contains pieces of the reptile's bones. The other slab held most of the skeleton and landed in the collection of the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, Germany. Scientists pinpointed the fossil in the second slab as a Weigeltisaurus, which was first described from another fossil in 1930, but the reptile's body shape still remained an enigma to paleontologists.  

Over the years, some researchers suggested that the long bones protruding from the specimen’s abdomen could have allowed the animal to glide through the air like a flying squirrel. But the skeleton in the fossil is curved in on itself and some bones are overlapping, making it hard to tell if they’re just ribs, or something else.

PBS Eons: How Dinosaurs Coupled Up #paleontology #dinosaur #fossil #pbs @EonsShow #birds

 

There's a new episode of PBS Eons.  Birds do it... bees do it, even dinosaurs do it!  Remember birds are dinosaurs, so....

Dinosaur mating behavior has been the subject of a lot of speculation, but what can we actually say about it from the fossil record?

 

Fossil Friday #80: Mazon Creek Diorama #fossil #FossilFriday #MazonCreek #paleontology #display

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #80.  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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We have something a little different this week, but still Mazon Creek  It's not exactly a fossil, but very fossil related.  You may remember James Alann with his eye popping Arthrolycosa danielsi in Fossil Friday #71 and his breathtaking euryperid in Fossil Friday #75.  Now, he's back with a beautiful museum quality diorama of Mazon Creek animals and plants.  Along with the photos, he sent the story of its creation and a little on how he got interested in fossils and paleontology.   Thanks for another great contribution, Jim!  When we get back to live meetings, I'm sure everyone would love seeing it up close!

Enjoy!

Ever since my late father bought me a small fossil collection from the flea market when I was in kindergarten, I have been a lifelong fossil enthusiast.

I was unfortunately born a couple decades too late to participate in the “golden years” of Mazon Creek collecting, but I’ve been able to build a respectable collection over the years. I always wanted something special to go along with, and as a reference to my Mazon Creek fossil collection. Several years back, I made the acquaintance with several exceptionally-talented artists in the model dinosaur industry. I floated my idea and sketches for a life-sized Mazon Creek diorama by them and they agreed to take on my custom project. It took roughly 5 years to complete in their spare time (you can’t rush artists!), but the finished diorama measures approx. 4’ x 2’ and sits on a handsome oak base for the “Smithsonian effect”. I chose this size so it fits nicely atop the large oak flat file that contains most of my Mazon Creek collection and I use the diorama to show interested folks what these fossil critters may have looked like back in the Carboniferous of Illinois. The base of the diorama is constructed of molded fiberglass and the individual critters are made of solid resin. I actually made some of the hardened polymer clay plants myself using some second & third string fossils as molds. The base & all the various animals are air brush painted in colorful tropical schemes. After all, Illinois was basically on the equator back in the Carboniferous!

The diorama is meant to depict a storm surge scenario where the marine Essex fauna has been washed into the Braidwood deltaic environment to mix with the various terrestrial plant material, etc. There are four (4) tullies represented (old depiction), a school of four (4) Bandringa sharks, two (2) limulus horseshoe crabs, a Mayomyzon  lamprey, a Peachocaris shrimp, a couple chitons, a shark egg cluster, a handful of Edmondia, and pectins and an assortment of plant material. It is still a work in progress as I plan to add a few Elonichtys peltigerus, a hatchling coelacanth under the stump, and maybe some Essexella jellies down the road. If anything, the diorama represents the lengths (and expense!) us fossil enthusiasts will endure for the love of this hobby!

I hope the ESCONI members find this interesting and I plan to bring it in to a meeting one day down the road if you think this would be of interest.

Throwback Thursday #82: Fossils by Ogden Nash #fossil #paleontology #peom #OgdenNash #dinosaur

This is Throwback Thursday #82.  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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Ogden Nash's poem "Fossils" is our throwback post for this week.  Known for his light style of prose, Nash (1902 - 1971) was an Ameican poet who used pun-like rhyming in his work.  Sometimes, he even misspelled words for effect. He published numerous collections of poems.  During the early and middle 20th century, he wrote many pieces that were used in clever advertisements.

This poem reminds one of the movie "A Night at the Museum".  Enjoy!

Fossils by Ogden Nash

At midnight in the museum hall
The fossils gathered for a ball
There were no drums or saxophones,
But just the clatter of their bones,
A rolling, rattling, carefree circus
Of mammoth polkas and mazurkas.
Pterodactyls and brontosauruses
Sang ghostly prehistoric choruses.
Amid the mastodontic wassail
I caught the eye of one small fossil.
"Cheer up, sad world," he said, and winked-
"It's kind of fun to be extinct."

 

These 125 million-year-old fossils may hold dinosaur DNA #dinosaur #fossil #paleontology #science #dna #china #cretaceous

This artistic reconstruction shows the Jehol Biota and the well-preserved specimen of Caudipteryx that was found there.  (Image credit: ZHENG Qiuyang)

LiveScience has an article about the potential discovery of the remnants of dinosaur DNA.  A study published in the journal Communications Biology looked at fossilized cartilage from a Caudipteryx, which was a feathered, peacock-like dinosaur that lived about 125 million years ago in what is now China.  The study's researchers found what appears to be fossilized cell nucleus structures.

These claims are often controversial, because it can be hard to distinguish a fossilized nucleus from a random blob of mineralization created during the fossilization process. In the new study, published Sept. 24 in the journal Communications Biology, researchers compared fossilized cartilage from the feathered, peacock-size dinosaur Caudipteryx with cells from modern chickens; they found structures in the fossils that looked much like chromatin, or threads of DNA and protein.

"The fact that they are seeing this is really interesting, and it suggests we need to do more research as to what happens to DNA and chromosomes after cell death," said Emily Carlisle, a doctoral student who studies microscopic fossils and their preservation at the University of Bristol in England but was not involved in the new research.

 

Ancient dog-size sea scorpion unearthed in China #fossil #paleontology #china #eurypterid #silurian

An artist's impression of Terropterus xiushanensis. (Image credit: Yang Dinghua)

LiveScience has a story about the recent discovery of a Euryperid.  Eurypterids were the apex predators of their time.  This one, Terropterus xiushanensis, lived about 435 million years ago during the lower Silurian in what is now modern day China.   It was described in a paper in the journal Science Bulletin.

Its barbed limbs "were presumably used for prey-capture, and analogies can be drawn with the 'catching basket' formed by the spiny pedipalps of whip spiders … among the arachnids," study co-author Bo Wang from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues wrote in the new study. Pedipalps are the front-most appendages of arachnids. Usually dedicated to transferring sperm from male spiders to female mates, in some arachnids, such as whip spiders, pedipalps have become adapted to snatch prey.

The fearsome beastie lived during the Silurian period, between approximately 443.8 million and 419.2 million years ago. At this time, the scorpions would have been the apex predators in their underwater stalking grounds, pouncing on unsuspecting fish and mollusks; scooping them up in their pedipalps; and shoving them into their mouths. 

 

Mazon Monday #83: George Langford at the Illinois State Museum #fossil #paleontology #ISM #illinois #MazonCreek #MazonMonday

This is Mazon Monday post #83.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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As part of the trip to the 2021 MAPS Expo in Springfield, IL this past weekend, a few ESCONI members took the opportunity to visit the Mazon Creek exhibit at the Illinois State Museum.  George Langford donated a large and especially fine collection of Mazon Creek fossils to the Illlinois State Museum in the late 1930's.  That collection is a large part of the current display which fills a good sized room on the ground floor of the museum.  As with most museums, only a small part of their whole collection is on display to the public.  Interestingly, many of the Langford fossils are cataloged in the Mazon Creek Collections Database.

The public display consists of good sized room, with a large diorama behind glass, which has many models of plants and animals from the Pennsylvanian Period fossils known to be part of the Mazon Creek biota.

Across from the diorama and extending for about 25 feet is a large display case of specimens of both plants and animals.  Many of these specimens are breathtaking...

Stunning plants...

Zooming in on a few choice specimens.

Rare wonderful animals...

And, of course there is a Tully Monster!

It was a great visit... if you have a chance, check it out!

ESCONI at MAPS 2021 #fossil #show #MAPS #paleontology

MAP Expo 2021 was held in Springfield, IL this year.  The hotel show started midweek with the official show being held from Friday to Sunday, October 22nd - 24th, 2021.  Here are some pictures of ESCONI members at MAP 2021.

There were many vendors at the show with specimens from all over the world.

PBS Eons: How Ancient Whales May Have Changed the Deep Ocean #fossil #paleontology #evolution #whales

 

PBS Eons has a new episode.  This one is about how whales changed the ocean.

It looks like the evolution of ocean-going whales like Borealodon may have affected communities found in the deep ocean, like the ones found around geothermal vents. And it turns out that when a whale dies, that’s just the beginning of the story.

Fossil Friday #79: Triple Annularia and Macroneuropteris #fossil #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #paleontology #illinois #plant #fern

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #79.  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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All right, we have a real nice treat for you today!  This specimen (maybe specimens?) comes from Ralph Jewell.   If you've been at any of our Braceville field trips in the last 4 to 5 years, you've met Ralph or at the least you've had the opportunity to collect from the very generous fossil donations he's brought for participants on those field trips.  I don't remember when we started providing fossil material at those events, but his were some of the first.  Heck, we might have gotten the idea from him!  Thanks again, Ralph!  And, thanks for the awesome Fossil Friday contribution!

This concretion was given to Ralph by his friend and fossil mentor, Walter Lietz.  Walter was a prolific, old time Mazon Creek collector, who made significant contributions to the study of Mazon Creek.  He donated many, many fossils to the Mazon Creek Project at Northeastern Illinois University.  The absolutely breathtaking spider, Trigonomartus pustulatus, on the cover of the "Richardson's Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek" was donated by Walter.   

Here is Walter collecting with Ralph in Pit 4.

Here is Walter and his wife, Rita.

Here is the story Ralph sent me...

Per our discussion today, here are a few pictures of my favorite fossil that I received from my mentor and fellow collector Walter Lietz.

It is a huge concretion that contains a triple Annularia stellata whorl on one side, and a beautiful Macroneuropteris on the other side. I believe he found this in the early 80’s and he cracked it open. I cannot remember where he found it, but I know it was not at Pit 11 or Pit 4, I am really thinking it was Pit 1, but am not positive.

If you notice the sheen that is on this piece, that is because he would brush egg yoke over his flora material, this was a practice the was used by many older collectors. They did this to bring out detail and also thought it protected the fossil.

Walter was a great ambassador for Mazon Creek, and on a weekly basis he had visitors at his house to see his collection. They came from far and wide, he had professors from various universities, including Jarmilla Peck from Carleton University and many others.

On two occasions, Walter donated large amounts of the fossils that he had in his garage to the Mazon Creek Project at Northeastern Illinois University. Those fossils included a beautiful Trigonomartus pustulatus spider that was used on the cover of “The Richardson’s Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek”. He also donated tons of flora / fauna that included fish, shrimp, legless amphibian, and a whole list of the usual suspects.

And, yes there is more...

Throwback Thursday #81: Wisconsin Dells Field Trip October 19th, 1952 #history #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #Wisconsin #TheDells #WisconsinDells

This is Throwback Thursday #81.  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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For this week, we are looking back at a field trip to the Wisconsin Dells back on October 19th, 1952.  It's always interesting to look back at a different time.  For this one, the Wisconsin Dells were beautiful with Fall colors.  There are some of the same attractions I remember as a kid... like the leaping dog at Stand Rock.  Here is a modern picture.

The slides on the ESCONI DVD are dated to 1951, but after digging through the newsletters, the trip was actually in 1952.  There are no collecting stops, but sounds like an interesting trip.  The announcement appeared in the September 1952 newsletter.

ESCONI FIELD TRIP TO THE DELLS AND DEVILS LAKE, WISCONSIN

The present plans are that we will meet at 12:00 noon, Saturday, October 18, at the north end of Devil's Lake, and spend the afternoon in that region. Dr. William Powers, of Northwestern University, will be the trip leader. Saturday evening at the Hotel Hellend, in Wisconsin Dells, we will hear a lecture on the geology of the area, and then spend the night at the hotel. Sunday morning we will ride through the Dells in a launch. In the afternoon there will be a short trip to visit sections which were not accessible by boat. If there is any change in these plans, notification will be given by postal card.

This will be the outstanding field trip of the year, combining wonderful scenery, pictures, boat ride, geology, a restful change, and wonderful companionship. Don't miss it! Bring your friends, and your camera.

There was quite a bit of excitement about the trip.  So much, that a preview of the trip was published in the October 1952 newsletter.

PREVIEW OF THE FIELD TRIP TO THE DELLS OF THE WISCONSIN RIVER

The Chicago Motor Club's "MOTOR NEWS" of September 1952 had the following article by Bellman Jones which is of especial interest because of the coming Field Trip to the Dells. It was titled, "Dells in Last Life Cycle".

"Better hurry if you want to see the Dells of the Wisconsin River. They may or may not last another 500,000,000 years even if, by chance, you do!!, according to E. Rowe Nelson, eminent midwestern geologist and curator of the Milwaukee public museum. Nelson recently led a museum geological expedition to this region to study the rock formation.

Disregarding the magnificent and bizarre formations that vacationers find so interesting, Nelson and the 4 men in his expedition discovered other intriguing things about the rock ledges, cliffs and bluffs that form the Dolls. He did this by literally and actually taking the rocks apart at least segments of them and studying them under a microscope.

He discovered for instance that the Dells actually began in the late Cambrian Era some 500,000,000 years ago. That was when the area was covered by a vast ocean and the sand began to be compressed into rock. Of course, the rocks were not formed. overnight, but actually took hundreds of millions of years to form, inch by inch, layer by layer. The ocean receded, then came back more than once. The rocks, according to Nelson, tell that story. He can tell because the grains of sand forming the rocks are water formed and polished".

Similarly, other grains of sand in other layers of rock show that this verdant land more than once a desert that would make the present day Sahara look like a tropical jungle. "ind formed" granules of sand in certain layers of rock prove this. Lack of fossils in the rocks show there was not a trace of plant or animal. life on that bygone desert.

While rocky "foundation" for the Dells began during the Cambrian Era, actual building did not begin until a mere million years ago with the advent of the glacier periods. Fortunately, the glaciers bypassed this area in all of their numerous excursions to the midwest up to about 10,000 years ago. If they had not, they would have flattened or swept aside the rocks as a bulldozer sweeps aside an ant hill.. But the glaciers did dam up the Wisconsin river to form a huge lake to the north of here. Waters from this lake, seeking escape, roared over the rocks and began cutting a rocky channel. in them, Inch by inch, and century by century, the river cut deeper into the rocks until the Dells of today were standing.

Nelson said the river would still be cutting into the rocks had not man brought the process to an abrupt end by erecting cams and turning it into a relatively mild mannered stream. However, he claims this condition is but temporary and should, measuring in the millions of years that make up the geological "hour", last only a mere fraction of a second of an eon. This is true, he says, even though the dam should last ten thousand years.

Barring a terrific natural upheaval, or several misdirected hydrogen bombs, the Dells should last for hundreds of million years yet. But another powerful glacier, rolling om from the north and over this region, could end them in a mere ten or twenty thousand years.

As far as the river itself is concerned, Nelson says it dates at least back to the Cambrian Period. It resumed its course after each period of ocean "Coverage" and the glaciers did very little to change its habit.

Editors Note: Better not miss the "Wisconsin Dells Field Trip". Details will be given later.

The customary field trip report appeared in December 1952.

AMONG OUR MEMOIRS THE WISCONSIN DELLS TRIP

With the wind whipping across Devil's Lake, and the sun shining brightly on the snow and autumn leaves, our hardy band of ESCONI's started off on the toughest hike they have make as a group. It was about 1:00 P.M. and ww had eaten lunch with the wind blowing the sandwiches off of the table so we were well fortified for the big climb!

Ascending the terminal moraine at the west end of the lake we were soon high up on Elephant rock listening to Dr. Powers explain the text book formation of Potsdam Sandstone, conglomerate, and quartzite base which is so beautifully exposed at that point.

From there we tramped along the ridge, taking pictures, studying the amazing pot-holes in the quartzite ledges, and trying to figure out how they were made. It is easy for us amateurs to theorize about this phenomena, but when the experts shrug their shoulders and say they don't know for sure it gives us something to think about. At the other end of the lake woe made a long descent through the great boulders and ledges, resting many times in the process, and even then we were really tired when we reached the bottom. (The drug store did a good trade in rubbing alcohol that evening)!

Then began the long trek through the beautiful woods with the sun shining through the gold and rod autumn leaves. It is a hike we will always remember, especially the last mile along the railroad track back to the cars. There we found our old friend Jim Montague, from Milwaukee, had been in the park looking for us, and had left a note of greeting.

In the gathering dusk the caravan wound its way to Rock Springs where we examined the well known Hoiss Rock consisting of metamorphosed shale on one side and of quartzite on the other. It was too dark to got any pictures.

We registered at the Wagner Hotel at Wisconsin Dells where we were warmly received, and when everyone was accounted for, we raided Ryan's restaurant much to their surprise. The food was very good, and it seems that there was some over-eating as some individual fell asleep and started to snore during the evening lecture by Dr. Powers in the Hotel dining room. Everyone was greatly sympathetic and it was only the very interesting lecture and good company that saved the day. At any rate, there was no night clubbing or carousing after the lecture. as everyone tumbled into bed as soon as they could sneak away. Did I say every one? Hmm, it seems there was some star gazing, involving Mars I believe!

Well, in the morning we all piled out and headed for the Riverside Boat Dock. Did we have a dandy trip up the river, into the canyons, around the islands, and into the storm tossed waters of the lake in front of Standing Rock, No break downs in the engine this time and a good thing because we left our engineer at home this trip, although we did have Harry Nelson and his pick (it was pretty dull this time!)

After a fine dinner we headed toward Portage making stops at quarries and Rhyolite beds en route. This wound up two beautiful days, and we certainly extend our greatest thanks and appreciation to Dr. Powers. A great deal was added to the enjoyment of our trip by the presence of Mrs. Thoron Wasson who answered many questions regarding plants and birds, and helped a great deal in bringing forth geological and mineralogical questions that would never have occurred to us amateurs.

A list of 20 questions to be answered by those who took this trip will be found on the following page!

Questions for those on the trip.... 

TWENTY QUESTIONS

To be answered by the Dells Field Trippers only.

1. Who used the rubbing alcohol?

2. Where did the Wisconsin River go when it wasn't going where it goes now?

3. Who fell asleep?

4. Who kept saying "I'm losing my hat?"

5. Why do the ravines widen at the cast in the Dells?

6. What is a pot hole?

7. Who wore the hardy, brave, sturdy souls who sat in the open on the boat, and why?

8. Did we have "Honeymooners" in the crowd?

9. Who said "Whose fault are the faults?"

10. Who worried about the amount of sand that it took to make 5000 feet of sandstone?

11. Who always came in last on the long hike?

12. Who was the coldest member of the crowd?

13. How do you know?

14. Who was the most patient when foolish questions were asked?

15. Who had what four legged animal named what?

16. Who dug out ripple marks that weren't ripple marks?

17. Who took the most pictures of people's backs?

18. Will you recognize rhyolite the next time that you see it?

19. Did you ever see more beautiful foliage?

20. Didn't we have a wonderful time?

21 ?? WHO WROTE THIS???

Here are pictures from the trip.  Nice group shots!

 

 

Newfound 'chief dragon' dinosaur species was actually the size of a chicken #fossil #dinosaur #paleontology #wales #chicken

An illustration of the newly described Pendraig milnerae, the oldest known meat-eating dinosaur from the United Kingdom. Next to it are three lizard-like reptiles known scientifically as Clevosaurus cambrica. (Image credit: James Robbins)

LiveScience has an article about a newly discovered "dragon".  This animal's name, Pendraig milnerae, means "chief dragon", but in reality it was about the size of a chicken.  It lived about 215 million years ago during the late Triassic Period in what is now modern day Wales and is one of the oldest known dinosaurs from the UK.  The description of this new species appeared in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

"Pendraig milnerae lived near the beginning of the evolution of the meat-eating dinosaurs," study first author Stephan Spiekman, a research fellow at the Natural History Museum who specializes in Triassic reptile evolution, said in a statement. "It's clear from the bones we have that it was a meat-eater, but early in the evolution of this group, these animals were quite small, in contrast to the very famous meat-eating dinosaurs like T. rex, which evolved much later."

Researchers described P. milnerae from an incomplete specimen, as well as two additional fragmentary specimens, discovered at a quarry in Pant-y-ffynnon, a village in southern Wales. The dinosaur's remains indicate that it was about 3 feet (1 meter) long, including its tail, and that it was a theropod — a group of bipedal, mostly meat-eating dinosaurs. 

MAPS 2021 - October 22-24, 2021, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL #fossils #paleontology #show

The Mid-American Paleontology Society (MAPS) is holding their 2021 Fossil Expo this weekend Friday October 22nd, Saturday October 23rd, and Sunday October 24th at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, IL.  The topic for the show is "The Ordovician".  All the information you need is on their website.

The MAPS show is moving to October 22nd to 24th, 2021 in Springfield, IL.

DATES: October 22-24, 2021.

LOCATION: EXPO XLII will be held at the Orr Building located on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 E Sangamon Ave., Springfield, Illinois (see Map p. 5). This facility has approx. 39,000 sq ft of floor space and is heated and air conditioned with restrooms and a finished kitchen. It is complete with two overhead doors and a loading dock for easy entry. Additionally, there are electrical outlets at every support post. Both the Orr Building and the Fairgrounds are locked nightly.

TENTATIVE EXPO HOURS: Friday, October 22: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday, October 23: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., and  Sunday, October 24: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

SET-UP: Normal set-up will take place on Friday, October 22. However, for those that arrive early and want to set up their tables on Thursday, MAPS has arranged for the building to be opened. Specific set-up times for both Thursday and Friday will be given in the EXPO Registration Guide Digest. Buying, selling, or trading will NOT be allowed on Thursday and will be enforced.

PARKING: Parking at the Orr Building is free.

TRANSPORTATION: The Orr Building (Illinois State Fairgrounds) is accessible via I-55 to E. Sangamon Ave. west to the Fairgrounds. Business I-55 (Veterans Parkway) can also be used. A location map will be included in the full EXPO Registration Guide Digest. The Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is located just west of the Fairgrounds.

SALES TAX: The sales tax rate for the Fairgrounds is 6.25%. For those without an Illinois tax number, there is a simple form available (see page 4). The sales tax rate for the rest of Springfield is 9.75%.

EXPO THEME: The Ordovician Period will be this year’s theme. Friday night’s Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Dennis Kolata. His program is tentatively titled “ The Platteville Formation Fauna of the Upper Midwest U.S. - A Snapshot of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event”.

PROGRAMS: Each day of EXPO, a number of programs/lectures/workshops are given by members and interested individuals on-site at the Orr Building. These programs average 40-60 minutes in length, are usually given in PowerPoint format, and deal with various topics often, but not always, in line with the theme for that year. If interested in presenting a program, contact Dale Stout: [email protected]. Times will be posted.

REGISTRATION: A complete EXPO Registration Guide Digest with table registration form, general policies, location map for both the Main Show and the Hotel Show, etc. will be sent out sometime in April/May 2021. This Digest will follow the format of previous EXPO Registration Guides.

HOTEL SHOW: The Hotel Show will be located at the Northfield Inn, 3280 Northfield Dr. (see Map p. 5). Note also that MAPS EXPO and the Hotel Show are separate entities. We (MAPS) place the venue location of the Hotel Show on our maps as a courtesy but are not in any way responsible for that show. All arrangements for the Hotel Show go through Dan Cooper ([email protected]).

SHOW FLYER: The show flyer is attached at the end of this document. Please reproduce, distribute, and advertise EXPO whenever and wherever appropriate.

FUTURE EXPOs: The MAPS Board voted and approved to have future EXPO Shows take place in October at the Orr Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Illinois. See future MAPS Digest issues for further details.

Mazon Monday #82: Species Spotlight - Peachocaris strongi #fossil #paleontology #shrimp #MazonMonday #MazonCreek #illinois

This is Mazon Monday post #82.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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We've already looked at a few shrimp species from the Mazon Creek biota -

• Mazon Monday #13, Belotelson magister
• Mazon Monday #48, Kallidecthes richarsoni
• Mazon Monday #52, Acanthotelson stimpsoni
• Mazon Monday #64, Essoidea epiceron
• Mazon Monday #65, Paleocaris typus

Today, we are going to look at yet another... Peachocaris strongi.  It was initially described in 1962 by H.K. Brooks and placed in the genus Anthracophausia.  The genus was renamed to Peachocaris by Frederick Schram in 1974.  Frederick Schram is an absolute giant in fossil crustaceans having written over 200 papers on the subject.  He described many of the newer Mazon Creek shrimp species, including Kallidecthes, Essoidia, and more recently Lobetelson.  Peachocaris is named for British paleontologist Ben Peach, who provided significant contributions to the early study of Carboniferous Malacostraca.  The holo-type resides in the Yale Peabody Museum with accession number YPM 18821, which was part of the Samuel S. Strong collection.    Samuel Strong was an early and prolific Mazon collector.  He is mentioned in this historical document used to register the Benson (now Kodat) Farm in Morris as a historical landmark.

Other important early collectors at Mazon Creek, mentioned by Worthen, Meek and Lesquereux, were Samuel S. Strong, Michael Prendel, and John Collins, all from Morris, the largest city near the fossil beds. Lesquereux (1870, p. 476) called Strong and Even "ardent and clever investigators" (1870, p. 378), and noted that Strong had ". . . most liberally presented the State Cabinet and myself with a large number of rare and new species" of fossil plants. Strong's collection was eventually purchased by Othniel Marsh, the nineteenth-century vertebrate paleontologist of dinosaur fame, for the Peabody Museum at Yale University. It is interesting to note that, although Strong's collection was apparently rich in Mazon Creek vertebrate fossils, Marsh never described any, whereas his arch rival, Cope, the equally famous vertebrate paleontologist, described the first amphibian from that locality, which had been collected by Even. The size of Strong's collection can be appreciated from the fact that it contained nearly 1200 specimens of Acanthotelson stimpsoni, which was more than all other Mazon Creek fossil crustaceans known in other museums.

The figure at top appeared in both the "ESCONI Keys to Mazon Creek Animals" and "The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna" by Jack Wittry, which has a more complete description.

Species similar to this animal were first found in Mississippian strata in Scotland. Due to inferior preservation of specimens in the United Kingdom and the United States, its generic name has been changed several times.

Peachocaris strongi is of moderate size. The carapace is one third the length of the animal, somewhat rectangular in outline, and has a short, sharp rostrum. A prominent optic notch protects the large eyes, which are often easily seen elevated on a stalk above the carapace. The rounded segments of the pleon decrease in size posteriorly. The prominent tail fan contains a tapered telson and uropods. All eight pairs of thoracic appendages are modified for swimming and appear blurred due to a coating of fine hairs. The pleopods are flap-like paddles. P. strongi has the body structure of a filter-feeder and often shows its last feeding in a well-preserved gut-line. This animal is usually found ghost-like and lying on its side.

P. strongi also has been turned into a catch-all name for all poorly preserved shrimp and those of small to moderate size. Though it is still the opinion of Schram that P. strongi is surely a member of the Mazon Creek Fauna, he cautions that "most of those little shrimp are generally so poorly preserved it is about 1 in 50 that can be definitively identified."

There is a mention of P. strongi in the "Richardson's Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek" in Chapter 12, which was written by Frederick Shram, W.D. Ian Rolfe, and Andrew A Hay.

Order Lophogastrida Peachocaris strongi (Brooks, 1962)

Figures 12.20, 12.21

Shrimplike body; rostrum moderate in size, slightly keeled, cervical groove slightly developed; eight thoracic limbs all equally developed, with segmented and setose exopods; abdominal segments equally developed, with pleural lobes all similar to each other and rounded; tailfan with broadly rounded uropods and subtriangular telson that appears to bear a set of terminal caudal furca.

This species is often confused with Anthracophausia ingelsorum, especially when poorly pre served (see comments on A. ingelsorum). This species was once placed among the "eocarids" (a catchall order) but has since been compared to, and placed among, the mysidacean types [Schram, 1986].

Specimens

Report: ESCONI Fall Sale Saturday, October 16th, 2021 #show #rocks #minerals #gems #fossils #paleontology #geology #minerology

The ESCONII 2021 Fall Sale was very well attended yesterday.  We sold bulk material, held live and silent auctions, and had a junior and book tables.  It was a great time!  We enjoyed visiting with old friends and even made some new ones.  We hope everyone had a great time and came away with some nice treats. 

The silent auction had an assortment of minerals and fossil from varying localities.  For the live auction, Mazon Creek ferns were the most common with an assortment of beautiful minerals. 

Thanks for coming out and we hope to see you in March 2022 for the full show experience with vendors and displays.

Here are pictures from the day.

Setup for the day.

Live auction minerals.

Live auction fossils.

Books!

Juniors!

Fossil preparation demonstration.

Lapidary demonstration.

Silent Auction

PBS Eons: Fossil Feud: Eons vs SciShow! #fossil #paleontology

 

There's a new episode of PBS Eons.  It's a quiz show content with their take on Family Feud...  PBS Eons vs SciShow!   This is their celebration of National Fossil Day.

You’ve heard of Family Feud… but how about Fossil Feud? Join us for a National Fossil Day livestream to watch the Eons team compete against some of our friends from SciShow! Gabriel-Philip Santos from the Alf Museum of Paleontology will be our host.

Kallie Moore, Blake de Pastino and Michelle Barboza-Ramirez will be up against SciShow's Sarah Suta, Stefan Chin, and Savannah Geary. Let’s see which team will be crowned the Champions of Deep Time!

ESCONI Fall Sale Saturday, October 16th, 2021 #show #rocks #minerals #gems #fossils #paleontology #geology #minerology

Today is the day!  All are welcome!

We've posted a few previews over the last few weeks.

• Preview #1, Mazon Creek Petrified Wood From Pit 1 
• Preview #2, Hemimorphite from Mexico
• Preview #3, Mazon Creek Animals from Pit 11
• Preview #4, Hematite from Brazil
• Preview #5, Microlite with Muscavite and Albite from Brazil
• Preview #6, Box of Mazon Creek Plant Fossils
• Preview #7, Selenite

There is much, much, more!  See you later today!

E S C O N I

Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Mineral and Fossil Sale
Saturday, October 16, 2021
10 AM to 5 PM
DuPage County Fairgrounds
Wheaton, IL
Activities include:
Minerals and fossils for sale, silent and live auctions,
geode splitting, kid’s activities, book sales,
demonstrators and displays.
For more information see
www.esconi.org

Location - Admission and Parking are free!

ESCONI Fall Sale Saturday, October 16th, 2021 #show #rocks #minerals #gems #fossils #paleontology #geology #minerology

Reminder Tomorrow is the day!  All are welcome!

We've posted a few previews over the last few weeks.

• Preview #1, Mazon Creek Petrified Wood From Pit 1 
• Preview #2, Hemimorphite from Mexico
• Preview #3, Mazon Creek Animals from Pit 11
• Preview #4, Hematite from Brazil
• Preview #5, Microlite with Muscavite and Albite from Brazil
• Preview #6, Box of Mazon Creek Plant Fossils
• Preview #7, Selenite

There is much, much, more!  See you on Saturday!

E S C O N I

Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

Mineral and Fossil Sale
Saturday, October 16, 2021
10 AM to 5 PM
DuPage County Fairgrounds
Wheaton, IL
Activities include:
Minerals and fossils for sale, silent and live auctions,
geode splitting, kid’s activities, book sales,
demonstrators and displays.
For more information see
www.esconi.org

Location - Admission and Parking are free!

Fossil Friday #78: A Double Mazon Creek Fossil #MazonCreek #fossil #paleontology #FossilFriday #illinois #plant #fern

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #78.  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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Surprise, surprise... we have another Mazon Creek fossil for Fossil Friday this week!  This one is a little obscure as many times we pass by wood and bark as unexciting.  However, this specimen from Valerie Anderson, ESCONI Recording Secretary, is definitely special.  The first thing you notice on this rock is the oval shapes in the top piece.  That is a rarely preserved Caulopteris sp. branch frond scar from a tree fern.  If that wasn't enough, in the lower part, there is a Lepidostrobus sp. cone of some kind.  Thanks Valerie for the awesome contribution!

2021 ESCONI Fall Sale October 16th, 2021 - Preview #7, Selenite #mineral #rock #geology #fallsale #selenite #gysum #desertrose

This is the preview post #7 for the 2021 ESCONI Fall Sale Live Auction.  The sale is on October 16th, 2021 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.  All details can be found here.

Here's a nice specimen of Selenite.  In this form, it's called a Desert Rose or Gypsum.