Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Trilobite Tuesday #47: Six new species of Western Australian trilobites discovered #fossil #paleontology #trilobite #TrilobiteTuesday #australia

One described species of trilobite (Kayseraspis cf. brackebuschi, partially complete (articulated) specimen, 2160.78 m). Credit: Peter Haines, Geological Survey of Western Australia

Phys.org has a story about the discovery of six new species of Australian trilobites.  The new animals hail from deep underground in Canning Basin of Western Australia.  Their discovery was via a stratigraphic drilling program by the Geological Survey of Western Australia and Geoscience Australia.  It sheds light on both ancient life and the geologic history of the region.  The description of these trilobites has been published in the journal Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.

The discovery of trilobites at such a time and place is not too surprising. However, what was unexpected was the diversity and abundance within this core.

Normally, cored rocks only have a small area for fossils to be captured so usually there's little chance of hitting a fossil, let alone something useful for identification. Yet, in this sequence trilobites were so abundant that almost every single layer of rock contained a fragment. In fact, the rock is entirely made of trilobites in places, stacked one on top of each other, like a pack of playing cards!

Among the six new species of trilobite identified were a few highly unusual forms. For example, one species had a subtriangular tail with an extraordinarily long backwards pointing spine ornamented with blade-like serrations on either side. This feature appears to be characteristic of the genus Sanbernardaspis and is not found in other closely related trilobites.

Mazon Monday #188: He looks for Tullys in gullies - Andy Hay #fossil #paleontology #MazonMonday #MazonCreek #history #tullymonster

This is Mazon Monday post #188.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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Tullimonstrum gregarium was first discovered by Francis Tully in the mid-1950s in the legendary Pit 11 fossil locality.  It was described by Ralph Johnson and Eugene Richardson Jr. in the article "Pennsylvanian Invertebrates of the Mazon Creek Area, Illinois: The morphology and affinities of Tullimonstrum", which was published in the March 1969 edition of  Fieldiana - Geology. It became the Illinois State Fossil in 1989.  For most of that time, Tullimonstrum gregarium has held a special place in the heart of Mazon Creek fossil collectors.  While recent research points to it being some type of vertebrate, it's still a true enigma.  What is its ancestry and did it have any ancestors.  Even simple question, like what it ate and how it swan are somewhat problematic.

Andy Hay with Karen Nordquist in the 1990's.

Andy Hay, who was a long time ESCONI member.  He wrote a good deal of the ESCONI Mazon Creek Keys to Identification books and the Creature Corner book grew out of his long running column by that name in the ESCONI bulletin.  Additionally, he was a primary contributor to the "Richardson's Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek".

Sometimes, the fascination of this creature has boiled over into the general media. The following article appeared in the Chicago Sun-Time on Sunday, July 28th, 1991.  It shows a 70 year old Hay hunting fossils in Pit 11.

Andrew Hay, 70, checks for fossils in an aban- doned strip mine near the Braidwood nuclear plant. He has found more than 2,000 fossils in 30 years.

He looks for Tullys in gullies

Fossil hunter Andrew Hay is working his way down a steep gully, looking for smooth rocks.

The gully runs into a man-made lake that provides cooling water to the Braidwood nuclear plant. Hay can see the twin re- actors in the distance.

He finds a flat, oval rock. It'd be a perfect stone to skip in the lake. But there could be a fossil hidden inside, perhaps a marine worm.

So Hay will take the rock to his north suburban home, drop it in a jug of water and put the jug in the freezer. Water will seep into tiny cracks in the rock, and expand the cracks when it freezes.

He'll freeze and thaw it six times. This will widen the cracks enough for Hay to break open the rock by tapping it with a hammer.

There's roughly a 1-in-100 chance he'll find a fossil inside. Hay, a re- tired tool-and-die maker, has found more than 2,000 fossils in 30 years.

"It's a real thrill," he said. "You're the first be- ing to see the animal since it died 300 million years ago."

Amateur collectors have cracked open as many as 50 million rocks from northeast Illinois' Mazon Creek area in the last 140 years. Like Hay, most amateurs show unusual fossils to academic experts. Hay's fossils have helped scientists discover two extinct Coal Age species.

"Amateurs' help is absolutely critical," said paleontologist David Bardack of the University of Illinois at Chicago. "So much of what we know and so many of the important specimens were discovered by amateurs." Hay's fossil collection includes insects, worms, clams, shellfish, Tullymonsters and one cockroach.

His favorite is a bug called Palaeocampa anthrax that looks like a caterpillar. When Hay cracked open the rock, he saw the eyespots and remarkably detailed bristles and antennae.

"I jumped for joy," he said. "I couldn't talk."

During the 1970's, Hay spent nearly every Saturday and Sunday, from spring until fall, hunting fossils. Some days, he filled 10 five-gallon buck with rocks.

But it's getting tougher to find fossils. He now. spends most of his free time as an unpaid research fellow at Northeastern Illinois University, where he's in charge of the school's Mazon Creek fossil collection. Nevertheless, Hay still goes fossil hunting once a month.

"There's always hope of finding a fossil no one has. ever found", he said. "And having it named after you." -- Jim Ritter

Feather-tailed possums in New Guinea were originally Aussies, according to fossil study #fossil #paleontology #possum #newguinea #australia #evolution #mammal

The New Guinean feather-tailed possum, Distoechurus pennatus, never developed gliding. Credit: UNSW Sydney

Phys.org as a story about possums in New Guinea.  A paper in Alcheringa : An Australasain Journal of Paleontology analyzed fossils from Riversleigh and found interesting facts about the ancestors of a tiny possum.  Biologists have long known that miniature feather-tailed possums in Australia and the island of New Guinea are evolutionary cousins... they just didn't know how closely they were related until now.

Professor Mike Archer from UNSW's School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences says that in an analysis of extinct species found at Riversleigh World Heritage Area fossil deposits in north-western Queensland revealed that ancestors of both groups of possums were present in Australia by at least 25 million years ago.

"As Riversleigh started revealing its prehistoric treasures, we discovered four different species of feathertail possums, the first 'deep-time' fossil record known for the whole family," he says.

Lead author Prue Fabian was able to unravel the Riversleigh story about this extraordinary group of possums in her honors year. "Not much was known about these species in the fossil record and how they related to their modern-day descendants," she says.

"Not only did we find two new species related to the Australian feathertail gliders, the species of Acrobates, but more surprisingly, two new species related to the New Guinean modern-day feather-tailed possum, Distoechurus pennatus."

Are Giant Animals Inevitable? #mammals #fossil #evolution #paleontology

PBS Eons has a new episode on Youtube.   This one is about large animals, are they inevitable?

The journey the thunder beasts took to reach such mega proportions from such humble beginnings forces us to ask an important question, one that paleontologists have been asking for more than a century: from an evolutionary perspective, is bigger always better?

Fossil Friday #184: Gilpichthys greenei from Mazon Creek #fossil #paleontology #fish #jawlessfish #fossilfriday #mazoncreek

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #184.  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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Today, we have a beautiful, huge Gilpichthys greenei.  G. greenei was named for Frank Greene, who was a long time Mazon Creek collector.  Frank is also the namesake for Reticulomedusa greenei.  He owned a small rock shop in Coal City during the heyday of Mazon Creek collecting.  You can learn more about G. greenei in Mazon Monday #140.

This breathtakingly detailed specimen comes from Bob Masek.  A former fossil preparator at the Field Museum and the University of Chicago, Bob is known as one of the best fossil preparators in the Chicago area and one of the few who works on Mazon Creek fossils.  Thanks for sharing, Bob!

Throwback Thursday #185: ESCONI Flea Market 2000 #fleamarket #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #history #rocks #fossils #gems

This is Throwback Thursday #185.  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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ESCONI held a Flea Market on October 7th, 2000 at the College of DuPage in Building K, which was torn down a few years ago.  The Flea Market was held off and on with the last one about 15 years ago.   It was a way for ESCONI to raise some money for the club and slim down by selling donated material.

Annoucement

Here are some photos of the event... there are some very young looking ESCONI members.

Karen Nordquist with Irene Broede.  That's Jim Fairchild in the background.

Don Auler with his back to us in the blue t-shirt and Marge Brazda speaking with someone.  Dave Bergmann in the background.

It looks like the live auction is getting started...

Don Auler answering questions.

More auction action.

Dave Bergmann in the sling.  Don Auler in blue t-shirt and Dorothy Auler in the blue sweater.

Silent auction

 

Stone by Ancient Stone, Mexico Recovers Its Lost Treasure #archaeology #history #mexico #culture

Monument 9 on view at the Museo Regional de los Pueblos de Morelos in Cuernavaca, not far from the archaeological zone from which it was looted six decades ago.

The New York Times has a story about how Mexico is working to restore and preserve its cultural heritage.  American officials are helping to track down and restore stolen antiquities from Mexico and restore the items to their rightful owners.  Many of the artifacts, stolen years ago, sell to collectors for upwards of a million dollars.

Mesoamerican archaeologists know it as Monument 9: a 2,600-year-old carving in stone of a jaguar’s gaping face, roughly five feet wide and tall and weighing one ton. Nearly 60 years ago the relic was looted from the ruins of Chalcatzingo, an Olmec site south of modern-day Mexico City, and smuggled into the United States, where it disappeared into a network of private collections.

The absence of the relic, constructed between 700 B.C. and 500 B.C., long vexed Mexican scholars. In its time the stone would have been used as a portal for priests and rulers to pass into the underworld, but the few photos that existed of Monument 9 could not fully convey its symbolic heft.

In March, however, U.S. authorities notified Mexican officials that they had seized the stone after tracking it to a warehouse in Denver. And in May the carving returned home in style, escorted by military vehicles from the airport in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to a nearby regional museum.

Jurassic pliosaur 'megapredator' was a giant 'sea murderer' #fossil #paleontology #jurassic #pliosaur

Lorrainosaurus helped rule the oceans 170 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs. (Image credit: 10tons/Musée national d'histoire naturelle de Luxembourg)

Live Science has a story about a "megapredator" of the Jurassic.  The new pliosaur species, Lorrainosaurus, lived about 170 million years ago.  Pliosaurs ruled the oceans during the Jurassic.  This animal was found in the former region of Lorraine (now part of Grand Est) in northeastern France.  A paper in the journal Scientific Reports reexamined the fossils that were first described in 1994.

A newfound member of a "dynasty" of pliosaur megapredators was at the top of the ocean food chain for 80 million years, a new study reveals.

 

The newly described sea monster, named Lorrainosaurus, was a Jurassic (201 million to 145 million years ago) giant with a 4.3-foot-long (1.3 meters) jaw and torpedo-shaped body from the clade of pliosaurs called Thalassophonea, or "sea murderers." 

Scientists first unearthed this sea monster's fossils in 1983. But in a new study, published Oct. 16 in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers re-analyzed the remains and found that the predator belonged to a previously unknown genus (group) of species and represented the oldest "megapredatory" pliosaur on record, according to a statement the authors sent to Live Science.

Mazon Monday #187: Palaeocampa anthrax #fossil #paleontology #worm #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #illinois #polychaete

This is Mazon Monday post #187.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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Figure 32.1, left: Palaeocampa anthrax, dorsal view; right top: segment in anterior view; bottom left to right: detail of spines and ventral view of median segments; modified after Shabica and Hay (1997). Scale bar = 10 mm.

Palaeocampa anthrax was an polychaete worm, believed to be similar to a group of modern day annulid worms referred to as fireworms.  It was described by Fielding Bradford Meek (1817-1876) and Amos Henry Worthen (1813-1888) in "Notice of some new types of organic remains from the Coal Measures of Illinois", which was published in 1865.  Meek worked for the USGS and the Smithsonian, while Worthen served as the second State Geologist of Illinois.  Worthen later became the first curator of the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, IL.  He directed the Geologic Survey of Illinois, which was published in 1866.

Fielding Bradford Meek

Amos Henry Worthen

P. anthrax was one of the first animals described from the Mazon Creek fossil beds.   The original type specimen was collected in the Mazon River fossil deposits by Joseph Even in the 1850's.  That specimen was unfortunately lost in a fire that destroyed Even's collection in the middle 1860's.  Yale University's Peabody Museum has 10 specimens of P. anthrax, all of which were collected by Samuel S. Strong in the 1800's.  Strong's collection was purchased by O.C. Marsh in the 1880's.

Originally labeled as a land-based caterpillar, a specimen, with exceptionally well preserved jaws, collected by Dick Fisher in the early 1980's led Eugene Richardson to conclude that it was a marine worm.

P. anthrax appears on page 32 of Jack Wittry's "The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna".

Palaeocampa anthrax Meek and Worthen, 1865

In its initial description, Palaeocampa anthrax was labeled a caterpillar by Meek and Worthen. Although this classification is incorrect, it is a most apt description of the animal's appearance. Its body dimensions, excluding the bristles, are approximately 7 mm in diameter and 40 mm in length. The triangular head reveals two eyespots and small, ringed antennae. There are 10 segments to the body, the first of which is the shortest, bearing short bristles. The remaining nine segments are almost equal in size, each equipped with a pair of fleshy, stout, conical, ringed legs that are approximately one body diameter in length. The bristles or needle-like spines are set in tufts on each segment and are one and one half times the body diameter in length. Under a lens, each spine appears hollow and tapers slightly. The spines are decorated with ridges or serrations that run the entire length. This animal is now considered to be a polychaete annelid of unknown affinities.

The hollow spines of P. anthrax are similar to that of an extant group of polychaete worms commonly called Fireworms. In the present-day forms, the hollow spines are filled with venom for protection. When touched, Fireworms can cause a painful burning sensation.

The "Richardson's Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek" discusses in Chapter 7A "Polychaete Worms" on pages 80-81.

Palaeocampa anthrax Meek and Worthen, 1865 Figures 7A.29, 7A.30

Description. All specimens incomplete; total body length 27-43 mm, rectangular in cross section, with 10 to 11 segments (Figures 7A.29A, 7A.29C, 7A.30A). Prostomium rarely preserved, appears to be partially retracted into anterior end; anterior prostomial margin of some specimens with what appear to be two short antennae or palps. Caruncle-like structure (median antenna?) present at posterior prostomium margin (Figure 7A.29A). Eversible proboscis not observed, jaws absent. Parapodia biramous (Figure 7A.29C), aciculae absent. Notopodia situated along dorsolateral surface (Figure 7A.29A), spirally twisted cirri (presumed ventral) sometimes preserved in association with neuropodia (Figure 7A.29B, 7A.29C). Noto- and neurosetae very stout, about 1.5 times longer than body width, hollow and appear calcareous (Figures 7A.29D, 7A.30B); setal surfaces ornamented with fine, longitudinal ridges.

Remarks. Palaeocampa anthrax, originally described as a caterpillar by Meek and Worthen (1865), then considered a myriapod by Scudder (1882, 1884), is now believed to be a polychaete. While the reconstructions in Figure 7A.29 are still preliminary, the species appears to be a member of the family Amphinomidae, to which Rhaphidiophorus hystrix Thompson belongs (see above). In fact, Rolfe et al. (1982) regarded Palaeocampa as a senior synonym of Rhaphidiophorus Thompson. A formal redescription of P. anthrax is being prepared by Henderson.

Specimens

From Wittry.

From Yale's Peabody Museum

 

During the Age of Dinosaurs, Some Birds Sported Toothy Grins #fossil #paleontology #birds #cretaceous #teeth

One of the first toothed birds ever discovered, Hesperornis paddled with its hind feet to hunt fish and evade marine reptiles in warm, Cretaceous seas. UnexpectedDinoLesson via Wikimedia under CC By-SA 4.0

Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting article about birds with teeth.  Before the K-Pg event at the end of the Cretaceous Period, most birds had teeth, but those species are rarely discussed.  One of the first toothed bird discovered, was Hesperornis in the 1870's.

Early birds such as Archaeopteryx don’t look all that different from the small, carnivorous dinosaurs they evolved from, with long, bony tails; claws; and, of course, teeth. Other features we associate with living birds—egg-laying, feathers, complex systems of air sacs—all evolved among non-avian dinosaurs first, too. And while Mesozoic bird fossils are rarely uncovered, owing to their small size and fragile bones, experts have discovered enough complete skeletons from deposits formed in the ash or fine-grained sediment at the bottoms of ancient lakes to get a feeling for how much the birds varied.

Most Mesozoic birds with teeth, for example, belonged to a group called the enantiornithes. Among their ranks were long-jawed birds with tiny teeth such as Longirostravis, crustacean-crunchers such as Eoalulavis and even potential sap-eaters like Enantiophoenix.

How Smithsonian Fossil Preparators Are Re-Excavating a Tyrannosaur From Its Past on Display #fossil #paleontology #tyrannosaur #dinosaur #smithsonian

The Gorgosaurus skeleton in the museum’s Hall of Dinosaurs and Fossil Reptiles exhibition in 1963. Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Magazine's National Fossil Day post looks at a tyrannosaur specimen that has been on display for many years.  The animal, Gorgosaurus libratus, had been at the museum since 1918.  It was found in the rugged badlands around the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada.  It lived about 75 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.  Barnum Brown discovered this specimen between 1913 and 1914 along with another specimen.  It was later traded to the Smithsonian for a Barosaurus neck.

The Red Deer River’s rich assembly of dinosaur bones has attracted paleontologists for more than a century. In the 1910s, famed fossil hunters Barnum Brown, who had previously discovered the first T. rex skeleton in Montana, and Charles Sternberg scoured these badlands for spectacular dinosaur skeletons, some of which sported imprints of fossilized skin.

It was Brown who discovered the nearly complete skeletons of two Gorgosaurus individuals between 1913 and 1914. Brown shipped these specimens back to his employer, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City (a third nearly intact Gorgosaurus was discovered by Sternberg and also ended up at AMNH). To prepare them for exhibition, the Gorgosaurus skeletons were partially entombed in plaster and mounted in relief like sculptures protruding out of a wall.

The 1913 Gorgosaurus skeleton was positioned in the “death pose” in which it was discovered. The tyrannosaur’s head and neck are bent backwards over its hip as its tail, which is largely missing and instead painted on, wraps around its ankles. The dramatic mount was originally displayed at AMNH alongside the other Gorgosaurus skeletons. But the skeleton was deemed expendable. “Brown found quite a few other tyrannosaur specimens in those years up in Alberta, most of which remained at AMNH — and that’s probably why they were willing to trade this one,” Carrano said.

In 1933, AMNH traded the mounted Gorgosaurus, alongside the skeleton of a strange horse-like beast from Nebraska named Moropus, to the Smithsonian for the elongated neck of a Barosaurus, a sauropod dinosaur from Utah. A towering cast of this sauropod specimen now dominates AMNH’s entryway.

Fossil Friday #183: Mazon Creek Spider #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #spider

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #183.  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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For this week, we have a breathtaking Mazon Creek spider for our Fossil Friday.  This is Amarixys sulcata.  Which was described by A. L. Melander in 1903.  He was an American entomologist would wrote extensively, describing many arthropods during his long career.

This beautiful specimen comes from long time ESCONI member Rich Rock, who started collecting Mazon Creek way back in the 1960's.  Thanks for bringing this specimen to the Mazon Creek Fossil Day last Saturday and thanks again for letting us use this awesome fossil for Fossil Friday!

Throwback Thursday #184: Crater of Diamonds State Park 1972 #gem #diamond #history #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #arkansas #statepark

This is Throwback Thursday #184.  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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Located near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, Crater of Diamonds is a State Park of Arkansas.  It's the only place in the world where the public can search for real diamonds.   The park opened in 1972 after the State of Arkansas purchased the land and opened it up for public access.   The largest diamond found at the park was 40.23 carats.  That diamond, named "Uncle Sam", is also the largest diamond ever found in the US.   Visit their official website for more information.

Your diamond search begins here, where you can prepare for your visit by learning about diamonds and how to search for them. At the park's visitor center, you can view real, uncut diamonds and interact with exhibits illustrating the area's unique history and geology. At the Diamond Discovery Center, you can learn more about rocks and minerals found at the park and how to search for diamonds using various techniques. Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow: the three colors found here at the park are white, brown, and yellow. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, quartz, and other rocks and minerals naturally occur here. Park staff provide complimentary identification of rocks and minerals found at the park, as well as diamond mining demonstrations and other interpretive programs.

The following article appeared in the ESCONI newsletter in October 1972.

CRATER OF DIAMONDS AND NEARBY LAND SOLD TO ARKANSAS FOR A STATE PARK from Jewelers' Circular-Keystone contributed by Stan Berger

June, 1972: America's only diamond-bearing kimberlite mining area, the so-called Crater of Diamonds, near Murfreesboro, Arkansas was bought last March 14 by the state of Arkansas--along with surrounding acreage--and is now a state park.

The state paid $750,000 for 867 acres, including the 78-acre area which encloses four separate pipes of kimberlite. It will spend up to $1 million more to develop the park--whose main attraction, of course, will be the opportunity to look for diamonds lying on the ground's surface.

The seller was GF Industries, Dallas, which in 1969 bought the entire diamond bearing area from several owners.. GF was the first company ever to consolidate the mine since prospector John Huddleston found the first two diamonds there in 1906,

The years since then have been confused ones in Murfreesboro. First came a rough-and-ready diamond rush. Then 40 years of attempts by wealthy men--and even the U.S. Bureau of Mines--to make the mining profitable.

The last attempt was made in 1948. Tycoon Glen L. Martin, following in the footsteps of such men as Henry Ford and even the Rockefellers, set up a company that sank $700,000 in a pilot mining plant. In its one and only year of operation, the mine produced 246 carats of diamonds worth only $984.60.

Some excellent stones have been found at Murfreesboro. They include the largest ever recovered in this country, the 40.23 carat Uncle Sam, which was dug up in 1924.

However, Notable Diamonds of the World, published this year lists on 60 gem diamonds of one carat or more known to have been found in the U.S. Of these, only ten came from Murfreesboro. They ranged in size from the Uncle Sam to the 3.11 carat Eisenhower Diamond found in 1957.

Generally, the stones found at the mine are small and low grade. Of the 60,000 reportedly recovered since 1906, only a few have been of real value because only 8% have been of gem quality. For example, amateurs digging in one section of the area in a recent year found 3000 stones whose total weight was 720 carats.

However, there's always a chance. A lucky digger in 1964 found the blue Star of Murfreesboro, a 34.25 carat beauty.

Thus, the lure of a big find has seen eager tourists swarming to the field ever since 1952 when Howard A. Miller let the public come in and dig for a fee of $1.50 a day--plus 25% of the value of any stone weighing more than five carats.

Arkansas won't be taking this cut, according to W. E. Henderson, director of the Diamond State's Department of Parks and Tourism. The state will charge a flat fee of $2 a day--and provide free appraisals.

Rare Jurassic fossils discovered near Lake Powell #fossil #paleontology #mammal #lakepowell #jurassic

A painting depicting an Early Jurassic scene from the Navajo Sandstone desert preserved at Glen Canyon NRA. A small team of paleontologists worked with artist Brian Engh to provide a technically accurate depiction of the rare and enigmatic tritylodonts (close mammal relatives) discovered in March during low water levels of Lake Powell. Credit: NPS / Brian Engh

Phys.org has a story about the discovery of some rare fossils new Lake Powell in Utah.  Tritylodontid mammaliaforms are rare animals that lived during the Jurassic Period about 180 million years ago.  The fossils were discovered in an area that would ordinarily be covered in water... you might say that the paleontologists were in the right place at the right time, just before the snow melt in the spring of 2023.  The fossils will reside in the Glen Canyon NRA museum collection.  A paper describing this rare find was published in the journal Geology of the Intermountain West.

While documenting fossil tracksites along a stretch of Lake Powell, a Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Glen Canyon NRA) field crew discovered the first tritylodontid bonebed found in the Navajo Sandstone in Utah. These extremely rare fossils are one of the more important fossil vertebrate discoveries in the United States this year.

The discovery included body fossils like bones and teeth, which are rare in the geologic formation known as the Navajo Sandstone within the Glen Canyon Group. This new discovery will shed light on the fossil history exposed on the changing shorelines of Lake Powell.

Black Hawk Gem and Mineral Club Fall 2023 Rock, Gem and Jewelry Show - October 28th, 29th, 2023 at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, IA #mineral #gems #rocks #show #jewelry #fossils #arrowheads

The Blackhawk Gem and Mineral Club is holding its Fall Show on October 29th & 30th, 2023.

BLACK HAWK GEM AND MINERAL CLUB FALL ROCK, GEM AND JEWELRY SHOW
Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds
2815 W Locust St.
Davenport. Iowa

Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

The show will feature rocks, minerals, fossils, agates, geodes, tumbled stones, carved stones, beads, silver and beaded jewelry, spheres, arrowheads and much more. Admission is $1 for adults, Kids 12 and under are free.

For information call John 815-757-5738 or www.blackhawkgemandmineralclub.com

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Mazon Monday #186: Mazon Creek Fossil Day #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #collectors #fossilcollecting #fossilcollectors

This is Mazon Monday post #186.  What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil?  Tell us at email:[email protected].

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ESCONI and the Carbon Hill School Museum sponsored "Mazon Creek Fossil Day" on October 14th, 2023.  The event was a celebration of Mazon Creek amateur fossil collectors and their contributions to Paleontology.  There were fossil displays, two presentations, and 5+ hours of interesting conversation.

Ralph Jewell has post with many photos over on The Fossil Forum.

Dr. Eugene Richardson Jr wrote this in his "The Amateur Fossil-Hunters – Paleontology’s Unsung Heroes" article for the March 1975 edition of the Field Museum's Bulletin.

Today, more than ever, fossil collecting is a popular hobby and a serious preoccupation of many people. In the Chicago area the name of fossil collectors is legion, most of them concentrating their efforts on the Coal-age fossils from the Illinois strip mines.

It is only because the amateurs devote thousands of man-hours to the job that some of the very rare fossil species have been found. And, significantly, it is only because of their generous cooperation in lending or donating specimens for study by trained paleontologists that these species can ever be made known to science.

Here are photos of some of the attendees

Dave Carlson, Valerie Anderson, and Keith Robitschek

Marie Angkuw with Peggy and Rich Rock

Rich Holm and Marty Houdek

Jeremy Zimmerman and Rick Rock

Bob Ulaszek, Ralph Jewell, and Marty Houdek

Don Cronauer and Andy Jansen

Michele Micetich and Joan Bludig

And, now for some awesome fossils...

Note:the photos in this post came from multiple sources.  Thanks go out to Ralph Jewell and Andrew Young!

MAPS 2023 "The Devonian" - October 20-22, 2023, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL #fossils #paleontology #show #fossil

The MAPS show is being held October 20th to 22nd, 2022 in Springfield, IL.  The topic is "The Devonian II".  The Keynote Address will be given by Dr. Jed Day of Illinois State University on Friday Evening.

DATES: October 21-23, 2022.

LOCATION: EXPO XLIV 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.

LOCATION: EXPO will be held at the Orr Building located on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 E Sangamon Ave., Springfield, Illinois.

EXPO HOURS: Friday, October 20: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 21: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, October 22: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

SET-UP: Normal set-up will take place on Friday, October 21, at 7:30 a.m. However, for those that want to set up their tables on Thursday, October 20, MAPS has arranged for the building to be opened with set-up from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Buying, selling, or trading will NOT be allowed on Thursday and will be enforced. NOTE: There will be no security Thursday night.

PARKING: Parking at the Orr Building is free.

TRANSPORTATION: The Orr Building (Illinois State Fairgrounds) is accessible via I-55 to E. Sangamon Ave. (Exit 100) west to the Fairgrounds. Business I-55 (Veterans Parkway) can also be used. See location maps page 3 this issue. The Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is located just west of the Fairgrounds.

HOTELS/MOTELS: Although the “Hotel Show” will be located at the Northfield Inn (217-523-7900) (see p. 5 for more information), there is a wide variety of hotels/motels of varying price ranges just off of I-55 in Springfield. If you plan to stay in a motel, we urge you to make your reservations early.

ON-SITE FOOD: The LOESS Club will serve food from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

ADMISSION: Admission is free for the 2022 EXPO Show.

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. The sales tax rate for the Hotel Show and the rest of Springfield is 9.75%.

EXPO THEME: Lagerstätten will be this year’s theme. Friday night’s Keynote Speaker will be Don Bissett and his program will be given at the Northfield Inn following the presentation of the Don Good and Sharon Sonnleitner Awards and is open to the public. Updates on the website. 

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.

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

 

Mazon Creek Fossil Day, October 14th, 2023, 10 AM to 3 PM, Coal City Public Library #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #NationalFossilDay #NFD

Today is the day!  Come on out!

JOIN US FOR

MAZON

CREEK

FOSSIL DAY

Coal City Public Library
October 14, 2023
10 AM to 3 PM

Displays of Mazon Creek Fossils
Identification of Mazon Creek Fossils
Books on Mazon Creek Fossils for sale
Lecture on collecting Mazon Creek
Fossils at 1 PM

Download Flyer

Presented by ESCONI (Earth Science Club of
Northern Illinois) and the Carbon Hill School
Museum

Fossil Friday #182: Lepidodendron Bark #fossil #paleontology #MazonCreek #tree #FossilFriday #illinois #pennsylvanian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #182.  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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Lepidodendron, also known as “scale tree”, is an extinct prehistoric tree which was one of the most abundant trees of the Carboniferous period.  They grew densely and some could get very tall, maybe 180 feet! Common in the coal swamps of the Pennsylvanian Period is mostly made up of Lepidodendron.

We have another nice Mazon Creek fossil for this week's Fossil Friday.  This gorgeous specimen (or should we say georgeous specimen?) comes from ESCONI member George Witaszek.  Thanks for the beautiful contribution, George!

Throwback Thursday #183: Braidwood Historical Society #history #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #MazonCreek #braidwood #illinois

This is Throwback Thursday #183.  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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While doing some research on the area, I stopped by the Braidwood Area Historical Society last Saturday.  I met Ed Bunting and Carida Davis, who are super knowledgeable and very helpful.  They can answer any question you throw at them!

Ed is a photographer.  Here, he is holding a photo of himself from a few years ago.

Close up of a younger version of Ed.  The photo has a nice throwback look to it, which makes it seem older than it is.... or maybe Ed has been around longer than he looks?!?

He spent time in the US Navy.  There's a very nice military/veteran themed display in the back room.

We discussed mining history.

And of course... Mazon Creek fossils came up.  They have a very nice little display with some very sweet specimens.

They have a really nice photo of the Braceville spoil pile when it was much bigger.  This seems to be from the North before the trees obscured that view.

Here's the G Mine shaft, which was the namesake for G-Shaft candy (see Throwback Thursday #107).

They have the original scale used by Harriet Williamson to make the candy!  Note the Peabody Coal sign in the background... "We're 100 and Number 1".

So, if you're in the area, stop by!  It's a great way to spend some time catching up on the history of the area.