Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Throwback Thursday #104: McLuckie House from 1952 Newsletter #history #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #MazonCreek #coalcity #fossil #fern

This is Throwback Thursday #104.  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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John and Lucy McLuckie were both avid collectors of Mazon Creek fossils.  They sponsored yearly "combined club" field trips to collect fossils in Braidwood.  They were said to be some of the finest and nicest people you'd ever meet.  Check this previous edition of Throwback Thursday.

From the March 1952 edition of the newsletter...  How many of you would love to visit the McLuckie's this spring!

Truly One Of The Finest!

If you were riding around the Strip Mining country of Illinois on a Sunday afternoon, you might pass thru Coal City and along a shady street with attractive small houses, most of them painted white. There would be nothing to distinguish this small house, painted white, attractive, comfortable looking, with a well kept garden in the back, but if it's McLuckie's, stop! Get out and walk around toward the back, and Wow there's a concretion that looks like the tire from a B-24! Along the flagged court in the rear are petrified trees and stumps, and more concretions; now you are really excited! Walk down the basement steps and there is the Rosetta Stone!! Well, if it isn't a Rosetta stone, what is it; it, too, unlocked the secrets of the past way down in the earth! Mr. McLuckie says it came up in a shovel, and he saved it and brought it to where we all may look at it.

There is a table with a guest book to sign, filled with many interesting names, books and pamphlets on the lore of this wonderful country of the Fossil Forests and a book of excellent photographs of many fossil finds. Along the wall, not too far from the stationary tubs, is a case of beautiful specimens of leaves and stems, horseshoe crabs, shrimps or shrimp-like animals, sharks' eggs (am I right?), and hung on the wall above, another case filled with rare and wonderful finds. There is a magnifying glass so you may study them carefully. Another case holds many more. Some are for trading purposes and if you look longingly enough, Mr. McLuckie may give you one. Mr. & Mrs. McLuckie really know their collection and told us many interesting facts about it. They were most generous with their time and patient with my amateur status, and I was glad to hear him say, "They are all worth keeping, you can use them for trading with collectors far off who do not have access to our Strip Mines."

As I write this it is cold and snowing but I know out there waiting for me are beautiful ferns, calamites, sigillarias, annularias hundreds of them, but since they have been there for about a quarter of a billion years, they will probably be there when spring comes and I can again visit the wonderful Mazon Creek region and McLuckie's basement.

Wylma Kromwell (Mrs. w. B.) Welly

Pictures from the museum in their house.

Meet 'Horridus,' one of the most complete Triceratops fossils ever found #fossil #paleontology #dinosaur #triceratops #australia

A Triceratops that died 67 million years in what is now Montana left behind a spectacular fossil that is now the centerpiece of a new exhibit in Australia. (Image credit: Museums Victoria)

LiveScience has the story of a very large and nearly complete Triceratops in the land down under.  A Triceratops, nicknamed "Horridus" after its species name Triceratops horridus, is now on display in a new exhibit "Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs," at the Melbourne Museum in Australia.  The specimen is about 85% complete and died about 67 million years ago in what is now Montana.  There is a very interesting 3D digital model of Horridus on the museum's website.

Horridus was an herbivore, or plant-eating dinosaur, that lived during the Cretaceous period (about 145 million to 66 million years ago), and it grew to an impressive size. The fossil contains more than 260 bones and weighs more than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms). It measures nearly 23 feet (7 m) long and stands over 6.6 feet (2 m) tall.

The skull, which is 98% complete, is tipped with two slender horns at the brow and a stubby horn atop the nose. The neck frill spans 4.9 feet (1.5 m), and the skull weighs about 575 pounds (261 kg). The fossil was discovered on private land in Montana in 2014, and Museums Victoria — the Australian organization that operates three state-owned museums in Melbourne — acquired the specimen in 2020, the museum announced in December that year.

When Horridus arrived in Melbourne, it was in pieces in eight crates — some of which were car-size, museum representatives said. Fossil preparers measured, labeled and 3D-scanned each bone before the skeleton was assembled for display. While many articulated Triceratops skeletons are exhibited around the world, only Horridus and a handful of others are made of bones that came from one individual animal, said Erich Fitzgerald, a senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at Museums Victoria in Australia.

 

 

Nature: Snake-like limb loss in a Carboniferous amniote #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #tetrapod #carboniferous #illinois

Paleoart reconstruction by Henry Sharpe: this shows Nagini mazonense in blue battling with its contemporary recumbirostran Joermungandr bolti in orange!

Nature Ecology & Evolution has a new paper on Mazon Creek tetrapods.  This paper describes snake-like limb loss in an amniote, Nagini mazonense, found in the Mazon Creek fossil deposit.  The authors are  Arjan Mann of the Smithsonian Institution, Jason Pardo of the Field Museum, and Hillary Maddin of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  Arjan did a great presentation on Mazon Creek tetrapods back in November 2020.  There's a nice summary of the paper in "Behind the paper" here.

Abstract

Among living tetrapods, many lineages have converged on a snake-like body plan, where extreme axial elongation is accompanied by reduction or loss of paired limbs. However, when and how this adaptive body plan first evolved in amniotes remains poorly understood. Here, we provide insights into this question by reporting on a new taxon of molgophid recumbirostran, Nagini mazonense gen. et sp. nov., from the Francis Creek Shale (309–307 million years ago) of Illinois, United States, that exhibits extreme axial elongation and corresponding limb reduction. The molgophid lacks entirely the forelimb and pectoral girdle, thus representing the earliest occurrence of complete loss of a limb in a taxon recovered phylogenetically within amniotes. This forelimb-first limb reduction is consistent with the pattern of limb reduction that is seen in modern snakes and contrasts with the hindlimb-first reduction process found in many other tetrapod groups. Our findings suggest that a snake-like limb-reduction mechanism may be operating more broadly across the amniote tree.

 

Mazon Monday #105: Kellibrooksia macrogaster #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #shrimp #mantisshrimp

This is Mazon Monday post #105.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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Kellibrooksia macrogaster is a species of mantis shrimp (stomatopods).  It was described by Frederick Schram in 1973.  Frederick Schram described many of the shrimp of Mazon Creek.  It is a rarely found species.  We had a nice one for sale at the ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil show in March 2022.  Kellibrooksia is named in honor of Harold Kelly Brooks, who published the first well-illustrated modern account of Mazon Creek crustaceans.  A pdf of the full article is available and it has some amazing illustrations!

K. macrogaster appears in the "The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna" by Jack Wittry on Page 90.

Kellibrooksia macrogaster has thin, weak thoracic legs and a poorly developed tail fan with a long styliform telson. The body is very long, and each body segment becomes progressively longer towards the tail. This animal has compound eyes and a body plan similar in design to modern stomatopods (mantis shrimp). This suggests it may have been an opportunistic bottom-dweller that ambushed passing prey.

Frederick Schram has a nice description of the species in chapter 12 "" of the "Richardson's Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek".

Carapace short without hinged rostrum; com pound eyes stalked; antenna (antennule?) with robust articles, possibly subchelate; thoracic limbs very short and apparently delicate; abdomen very long with segments progressively longer distally in the sequence; telson as a long spike with tiny caudal rami flanking the base. No clear preservation of thoracic and abdominal legs has ever been seen, suggesting that these were possibly thin, leaflike structures.

The form of these strange animals is similar to that of the stomatopod hoplocaridans, and suggest these too may have been bottom dwellers that buried themselves lying in wait for prey.

Kellibrooksia is a phyllocarid named after Harold Kelly Brooks, who published the first well-illustrated modern account of Mazon Creek crustaceans. 

Specimens

These photos were provided by ESCONI member David Duck.

Graves of dozens of kings from the time of King Arthur uncovered in Britain #archaeology #britain #kings #kingarthur

The new study identifies British Royal graves from the era of the mythical King Arthur. Several places in Britain are claimed to be the location of his burial; but according to some legends Arthur was taken by a magical boat to the mystical Isle of Avalon after being mortally wounded in battle. (Image credit: The Death of Arthur, John Garrick 1862)

LiveScience has an interesting piece about the discovery of the graves of early British royalty.   The graves date to the period between the fifth and seventh centuries and provide archaeological evidence from a little-understood period of British history.

The new study by Ken Dark, an emeritus professor of archaeology and history at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, identifies what may be up to 65 graves of post-Roman British kings and their families at about 20 burial sites across the west of England and Wales, including the modern English counties of Somerset and Cornwall.

The British continued to rule in what are now the west of England, Wales, and parts of Scotland in the centuries after the end of Roman rule in Britain in the early fifth century, while the invading Anglo-Saxons settled in the east. 

But while Anglo-Saxon rulers of the time were given elaborate burials with valuable and ornate grave gifts, the Christian British may have viewed this as a pagan practice, Dark said. 

 

PBS Eons: The Sudden Rise of the First Colossal Animal #fossil #paleontology #reptile #ocean #ichthyosaur

 

There's a new episode of PBS Eons.  This one is about ichthyosaurs, how and why they arose.

 

Fossil Friday #101: Mazon Creek Aquatic Plants #fossil #paleontology #FossilFriday #MazonCreek

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #101.  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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The last section of "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek" is called "Possible Aquatic Plant" on Page 249.  There's a couple of species of Rhacophyllum are shown.  They are categorized due to traits common to aquatic plants.

Pit 11 is mostly known for the animal fossils found there, quite a few are unique to just that locality.  Plant fossils are also found.  Most, but not all, were washed in from the nearby terrestrial settings.  A few weeks ago, we received an email from long time ESCONI member Marty Houdek with some photos of Pit 11 plants that are candidates for the aquatic plant category.  They have a Rhacophyllum-type look to them and were identified as such by Andy Hay over 30 years ago.  Thanks for the interesting contribution, Marty!  Keep them coming!

Throwback Thursday #103: Field Trip to Jacob's Geodes 2007 #history #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #geode #fieldtrip

This is Throwback Thursday #103.  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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Back when the MAPS show was at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL, there would be an annual field trip to Jacob's Geodes.   They are still there and you can still collect geodes on their property.  Back then, they charged you by the bucket... $10 if I remember correctly, might be more now. 

Today's Throwback Thursday is a look back at the spring 2007 trip.   I see my family in these for our one and only visit to the geode mine.  By the way, these photos are from John Goode, past president, field trip chairman, treasurer, and much more.  He brought a bunch of photos to the show this past weekend.  There's many great photos from past ESCONI events.  Thanks, John!

Trip Full: ESCONI Field Trip to Danville Shale Pile Fossils - Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 #fossils #fossil #FieldTrip #Carboniferous #Illinois #coal #fern #plants #MazonCreek

The trip is full!  It filled up in about 8 hours!  We are still accepting requests, which will place you on the waiting list.  Please let us know if you can't make it, as it makes room for those on the waiting list.  Thanks!

Danville Field Trip Rules

April 23, 2022

An ESCONI field trip to the Danville Shale Pile for Pennsylvanian fossils is scheduled for April 23, 2022 starting at 10 AM. This is on private property and there is an attendance limit of 25 people. The gate will be secured once we are in and locked when we leave. Plan on being off the hill at 3 PM to give time for specimen identification and pictures.

You must register to go on this trip. See rule 6 below for instructions. This is the only way to register.

If you are sick, have any symptoms of Covid-19 or have recently tested positive, DO NOT COME.

1. The minimum age is 18 years old. Registration ends at midnight April 18th.

2. You and everyone in your party must be members of ESCONI. No membership dues will be accepted at the field trip site. Have your membership status resolved before the trip, no later than April 18th. You can pay dues by mailing a check, or with a credit card using the PayPal link on the ESCONI website.

3. You will be required to check-in at the collecting site. By attending, you agree to follow the ESCONI Code of Ethics and Conduct (available on the ESCONI website) and agree to the conditions set forth in the ESCONI Accident Waiver and Release of Liability Form (sent by email to those that register). You don’t need to print it out - just know what you’re agreeing to.

4. The pile is a mixture of “Red dog” shale (bisque-fired shale), gray shale and black shale. You’ll be collecting from loose shale which can be hard and sharp. If you decide to dig for concretions, it is much like Braceville, though concretions are less common. Sturdy boots are highly recommended as are gloves. No tennis shoes or soft climbing footwear. Wear eye protection if using a hammer.

5. Parts of the pile are unstable. You must not go into areas marked with flags/caution tape. Anyone found beyond the markers will be asked to leave and may not be allowed to sign up for future field trips.

6. Sign up for the trip by sending me (Dave) an email with your name and the number of members attending. I will acknowledge by return email within 24 hours. If you don’t hear from me in that time, send it again! My email is [email protected]

7. If the trip is full I will keep a waiting list in case there are cancellations. If you are signed up and can’t make it, please let me know.

I will send a map to those that register a few days before the trip. The driving distance is significant. Depending on where you live, it could take 2 to 4 hours to get there.

ESCONI Field Trip to Danville Shale Pile Fossils - Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 #fossils #fossil #FieldTrip #Carboniferous #Illinois #coal #fern #plants #MazonCreek

We are pleased to announce the first field trip of the season!

Danville Field Trip Rules

April 23, 2022

An ESCONI field trip to the Danville Shale Pile for Pennsylvanian fossils is scheduled for April 23, 2022 starting at 10 AM. This is on private property and there is an attendance limit of 25 people. The gate will be secured once we are in and locked when we leave. Plan on being off the hill at 3 PM to give time for specimen identification and pictures.

You must register to go on this trip. See rule 6 below for instructions. This is the only way to register.

If you are sick, have any symptoms of Covid-19 or have recently tested positive, DO NOT COME.

1. The minimum age is 18 years old. Registration ends at midnight April 18th.

2. You and everyone in your party must be members of ESCONI. No membership dues will be accepted at the field trip site. Have your membership status resolved before the trip, no later than April 18th. You can pay dues by mailing a check, or with a credit card using the PayPal link on the ESCONI website.

3. You will be required to check-in at the collecting site. By attending, you agree to follow the ESCONI Code of Ethics and Conduct (available on the ESCONI website) and agree to the conditions set forth in the ESCONI Accident Waiver and Release of Liability Form (sent by email to those that register). You don’t need to print it out - just know what you’re agreeing to.

4. The pile is a mixture of “Red dog” shale (bisque-fired shale), gray shale and black shale. You’ll be collecting from loose shale which can be hard and sharp. If you decide to dig for concretions, it is much like Braceville, though concretions are less common. Sturdy boots are highly recommended as are gloves. No tennis shoes or soft climbing footwear. Wear eye protection if using a hammer.

5. Parts of the pile are unstable. You must not go into areas marked with flags/caution tape. Anyone found beyond the markers will be asked to leave and may not be allowed to sign up for future field trips.

6. Sign up for the trip by sending me (Dave) an email with your name and the number of members attending. I will acknowledge by return email within 24 hours. If you don’t hear from me in that time, send it again! My email is [email protected]

7. If the trip is full I will keep a waiting list in case there are cancellations. If you are signed up and can’t make it, please let me know.

I will send a map to those that register a few days before the trip. The driving distance is significant. Depending on where you live, it could take 2 to 4 hours to get there.

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - Show Report #fossil #gem #mineral

So, the 2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show is in the books....  it was a great weekend.  We hope everyone enjoyed it!   The turnout was excellent both days.  Thanks to all the were able to attend and hope the others can make it next time!

For the auction, we had quite a few excellent specimens, including Tully Monsters, fossilized fish fins, fern fossils, books, and even plastic dinosaurs!

Here are a couple more random pictures from the show...

Mazon Monday #104: Mid-century Mazon Creek #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #illinois #arizona

This is Mazon Monday post #104.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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We recently received an interesting link from ESCONI member Kristi Overgaard of a post on the Geology World group on Facebook.  The post was by James Anderson and it described an transaction with Dr. Wilbur Hoff's son.  Dr. Hoff was a long time fossil hunter, who collected just about everything.  He was instrumental in the founding of ESCONI way back in 1949.  He served as President of ESCONI in 1959.  Here he is with his wife, Donnafred in 1958.

Here he is presiding over the 10th Anniversary party.

And, here he is on a field trip to Galena, IL in 1959.

The post by James Anderson is interesting for a few reasons.  Firstly, there's some amazing photos of specimens collected in the mid-1940's.  Secondly, there is a letter that details the terms of the sale of "15 pair of fossil fern" for $3.25!!!  Shipping for the order, which had to be fairly heavy given the size shown in the pictures, was $0.78 for express handling and $0.66 for parcel post from Chicago to Parkisons' Store in Percival, Iowa.  Dr. Hoff was instructed to send a few "GOOD ONES"... Wow!  Those would be considered GREAT ONES both then and now!  It's nice to see they were "Returnable if not satisfied"...

MID-CENTURY MAZON CREEK. Collected from the mid-1930’s through 1950 by Wilbur Hoff of Illinois who started offering these for sale in 1944 according to a letter he kept on which he had written “1st order received 3/8/1944”. These unusually large nodules are seemingly no longer available for some time now from the waste piles of the coal mines in northern Illinois. Never saw anything like these the few times I collected there about 30 years ago. One of the unopened nodules is about 2 feet in length; another is 18 inches long and weighs more than 10 pounds.

 

Prices have also changed a bit since he sold these through the want ads in the “Mineralogist” magazine which lists 5 to 7 inch long pairs for $1 to $3 and 4 to 5 inch pairs for 50 cents to $1 each. His first order was ridiculously inexpensive (15 pairs of nodules up to 8 inches for $3) as was the postage (78 cents for shipping 16 pounds). I acquired these in a large collection from his son who operated the small museum his father first started in Illinois then later moved to Arizona.

 

The Mazon Creek fossil deposit extends over a wide area of northeastern Illinois. The fossils are best known from concretions or nodules of siderite, an iron carbonate mineral, which generally must be fractured to expose a plant or animal fossil within. These nodules occur in a geological unit known as the Francis Creek shale, a wedge-shaped body of gray shale that lies immediately above the Colchester (No. 2) coal bed in northeastern Illinois. The Francis Creek shale is of Middle Pennsylvanian age, approximately 309 million years old. The majority of the coal mines were closed and back-filled during the 1990s. Because of this, collecting localities are greatly diminished, especially the largest, Pit 11, which was deliberately flooded to create a fishing reserve and cooling lake for a nuclear power station. And owing to the flat topography of Illinois, very few natural exposures exist; the banks of the Mazon River reveal some outcrops; however, high river discharge, vegetation overgrowth and land ownership make collecting today very problematic. (Journal of the Geological Society (2019) 176 (1): 1–11.)

Fossil Photos

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - People and Photos from the Show #fossil #MazonCreek #paleontology #illinois

To all the people that came out to day 1 of the 2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, thank you for coming!  There was tons of fun for all.  We enjoyed having the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make some new ones!  All of that was sadly missing during the pandemic.

Ralph Jewell, ESCONI member and all around great guy, has started an interesting thread about the show over on the Fossil Forum.  You can find it here.  If you aren't a member of the Fossil Forum, what are you waiting for?!?!  It's free and chock full of fossils, interesting content, fossils, and great people... did I mention fossils?

Well, day 1 is done... on to day 2.  There is have plenty of fun left, along with many more gems, minerals, and fossils!   Come on out and join us for a day of fun and gems, minerals, and fossils!

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - Photos from the Show #fossil #MazonCreek #paleontology #illinois

Live from the show... Auction specimens!

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - Today is the day!!! #gem #mineral #fossil #show

Set up for the show was Friday night.  We are ready for everyone on Saturday and Sunday!  Here are some photos.  More auction specimens at the end.

Dealers, Demonstrators, Displays, Live and Silent Auctions,
Book Sales, Kid’s Korner, Geode Splitting

Free Parking! Free Admission!

DuPage County Fairgrounds
2015 Manchester Rd.
Wheaton, Illinois
Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM
Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM
www.esconi.org

Download Show Flyer

Auction specimens

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - Preview #11, Prehistoric Animals #paleontology #show #prehistoric

This is the preview post #11 for the 2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction.  The show is on March 19th and 20th, 2022 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.  All details can be found here.

Today is the day!  Here is another preview of auction material... high quality plastic prehistoric animals.  There's dinosaurs a Dunkleosteus, a Mosasaur, and more!

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - Preview #10, Pennsylvanian Plant Stem #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #show

This is the preview post #10 for the 2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction.  The show is on March 19th and 20th, 2022 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.  All details can be found here.

Here's a specimen for the silent auction... a fossilized plant stem from Mazon Creek.  307 million years old!

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - Preview #9, Apophyllite #mineral #india #quartz

This is the preview post #9 for the 2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction.  The show is on March 19th and 20th, 2022 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.  All details can be found here.

Another beautiful mineral specimen.... this one is Apophyllite Drusy Quartz from India.  Stop by and check it out this weekend!

2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show - March 19th - 20th, 2022 - Preview #8, Fluorite #mineral #show #illinois

This is the preview post #8 for the 2022 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction.  The show is on March 19th and 20th, 2022 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.  All details can be found here.

Preview #8 is a beautiful grouping of Fluorite crystals.  The picture does not do this one justice!  Come and see it in person this weekend!

Fossil Friday #100: Lyginopteris hoeninghaus #fossil #paleontology #fern #carboniferous #alabama #FossilFriday

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #100.  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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Wow, 100 posts... we are no over 100 for Mazon Monday, Throwback Thursday, and Fossil Friday.  Please send us fossils for Fossil Friday!

A 300 million year old fossil fern from Pottsville Formation in Alabama named Lyginopteris hoeninghausi.  This species of seed fern is related to Sphenopteris from Mazon Creek.  Like the fossils in Illinois, these Alabama fern fossils are associated with coal mines.