Contact Us:
[email protected]
ESCONI will be holding the 2024 Mazon Creek Fossil Day on October 12th, 2024 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Coal City Public Library. Please come out and bring your Mazon Creek fossils. There will displays of Mazon Creek fossils and knowledgeable people who can identify your fossils.
Coal City Public Library
85 N. Garfield St.
Coal City, IL
Main Meeting RoomLecture on Mazon Creek Fossils 1 PM
Come on out for another great and informative day!
There will be a field trip to Vickers Geodes in Hamilton, IL on August 10, 2024. Hamilton IL is across the Mississippi River from Keokuk Iowa. The address is 511 South 9th St. The geodes at this location range from golf ball to basketball in size! They are in shale and need to be dug out, so bring big tools like a pickaxe and crowbar, and expect to get dirty.
This is a pay-to-dig site and open to the public with no age restriction. The cost to participants is $25 per 5-gallon bucket paid to the landowner.
We will meet up at 9:00 AM at the site, but arriving late is OK. Because of the distance, consider arriving the night before and staying overnight. If enough people do this maybe we can get together for dinner on Friday. Please let me know if you’re interested in coming on this trip. My email is [email protected]
Note: Because this site is open to the public, you do not need to be an ESCONI member to attend.
You can see some pictures on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Railroad-creek-Vickers-Geodes-100064783084085/
Also a nice video from “That Camping Couple” on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyM4MT3hhe0
The April 2024 was held on April 20th, 2024 at 7:30 via Zoom. The presenter was ESCONI member John Catalani.
Abstract
We begin with an explanation of the “Terror Birds” and their position in Geologic Time. The two major groups of these large cursorial birds are the Phorusrhacidae and the Gastornithidae. The first group was the longest lasting and, until the very end, lived in South America, at that time an isolated continent. With the appearance of the Panamanian Land Bridge and the Great American Biotic Interchange, the last “Terror Bird” took up residence in the, mostly, southeastern United States. The Interchange is also believed to have been the cause of the eventual extinction of the Phorusrhacidae. The Gastornithids, inhabiting Europe and North America, did not exist as long as the Phorusrhacids becoming extinct for unknown reasons mid-Eocene. This group consisted primarily of Diatryma in North America and Gastornis in Europe. Detailed study has determined that the two birds were actually congeneric. We will survey both groups for habitats and significant species with bird skeletal features and restorations illustrating the talk.
The June 2024 General Meeting will be held on June 14th, 2024 via Zoom. The presentation is by Kathleen Rust of the University of Kansas. She will be speaking about Ekgmowechashala, a primate known only from the late early Oligocene of western North America.
"I am planning on presenting findings from my most recent publication describing a new primate species from the late Eocene of China that we named Palaeohodites and how its discovery elucidates the origin of a very funky primate species from the Oligocene of North America called Ekgmowechashala. My talk is about 30-40 mins. I will most certainly make time for questions from the audience."
The story of Ekgmowechashala, the final primate to inhabit North America before Homo sapiens or Clovis people, reads like a spaghetti western: A grizzled and mysterious loner, against the odds, ekes out an existence on the American Plains.
Except this tale unfolded about 30 million years ago, just after the Eocene-Oligocene transition during which North America saw great cooling and drying, making the continent less hospitable to warmth-loving primates.
Today, paleontologists from the University of Kansas and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing have published evidence in the Journal of Human Evolution shedding light on the long-standing saga of Ekgmowechashala, based on fossil teeth and jaws found in both Nebraska and China.
Abstract
This is Throwback Thursday #215. 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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In case you weren't previously aware, the CGMA (Chicagoland Gem and Mineral Association) Show is this weekend May 25th and 26th, 2024 at the Kane County Fairgrounds. The theme this year is "Planet of the Rocks". It should be a great weekend, come on out an join the fun! Here's our announcement from about a month ago. And, check out the official website PlanetOfTheRocks.com.
To go along with that, we have some photos from the 2001 show. It's great to see some familiar... and younger faces! The 2001 show was held at the DuPage County Fairgrounds on May 26th - 28th, 2001. The theme that year was "Your Gem Odyssey".
Jack Wittry, Karen Nordquist, and Wendy Taylor.
Dan Damrow setting up his Rib River Fossils display.
Rib River Fossils.
Jack Wittry and Karen Nordquist.
ZRS Fossils and Gifts.
The ESCONI February 2024 General Meeting was held on Friday, February 9th, 2024. The topic was “Photographing Rock Art in Illinois and Missouri: A visual journey into the sacred, the unknown, and the creation of the universe”. It was presented by Mike Chervinko. Mike is author of "Prehistoric and Natural Wonders of Southern Illinois". The video is available on Youtube.
When people think about Illinois, what usually comes to mind are cornfields, flat prairies, and Chicago. It’s hard to blame them because, for the most part, they’re right. However, the prairie state does hold a few surprises. Many of these surprises can be found in the southern 10% of the state. It is there the glaciers stopped and spared what is now a hidden gem of natural beauty and prehistoric interest. It is the aim of this book to show people some of these magical places and things that are unique to southern Illinois – my backyard. This edition combines over 350 of my photographs with essays and personal accounts to provide a surprising, and inspiring, overview of some of southern Illinois' most popular natural destinations and best keep secrets.
Cystoid from a field trip to Napoleon - from a University of Kentucky website.
There will be a field trip for ESCONI members on Saturday, June 1, 2024, to the quarry just east of Napoleon, Indiana. We need to meet at the quarry entrance at 8:30 a.m. EDT. We have the chance to collect Silurian (Osgood Member of the Salamonie Dolomite) and possibly Ordovician rocks.
Rules are as follows:
To register for this field trip, send John an email with the number of members attending. His email address is: [email protected]. No phone calls please. Do NOT call the quarry. He
will confirm via return email within 24 hours. If you do not hear back from him within that time, send it again!
NOTE: This quarry is located southeast of Indianapolis, IN. Consider the distance when making your plans.
Please print these documents
Chicagoland Gems & Minerals Association
47th Annual Show ● May 25th & 26th, 2024
Saturday, 10am-6pm ● Sunday, 10am-5pm
Kane County Fairgrounds
525 S. Randall Road
St. Charles, IL 60174
Over 30 Dealers, Special Exhibits, Demonstrators,
Kids Korner, Door Prizes, and Silent Auctions
Free Parking - Air Conditioned - Food Available
Wholesale Room
Requires Current State Tax lD and Trade Credentials
Saturday, 10am - 6pm ● Sunday 10am - 3pm
Adults $5, Seniors (62) and Students $3, Two-day Passes $8.
Kids under 13, Scouts in Uniform, and Active Service Personnel w/ID, FREE.
Visit our website at CGMAshow.com
Email us at [email protected].
The April 2024 will be held on April 20th, 2024 at 7:30 via Zoom. The presentation will be given by John Catalani.
Abstract
We begin with an explanation of the “Terror Birds” and their position in Geologic Time. The two major groups of these large cursorial birds are the Phorusrhacidae and the Gastornithidae. The first group was the longest lasting and, until the very end, lived in South America, at that time an isolated continent. With the appearance of the Panamanian Land Bridge and the Great American Biotic Interchange, the last “Terror Bird” took up residence in the, mostly, southeastern United States. The Interchange is also believed to have been the cause of the eventual extinction of the Phorusrhacidae. The Gastornithids, inhabiting Europe and North America, did not exist as long as the Phorusrhacids becoming extinct for unknown reasons mid-Eocene. This group consisted primarily of Diatryma in North America and Gastornis in Europe. Detailed study has determined that the two birds were actually congeneric. We will survey both groups for habitats and significant species with bird skeletal features and restorations illustrating the talk.
The ESCONI General Meeting for April 2024 will be held on Friday, April 12th, 2024 at 8:00 PM zia Zoom. The topic of the presentation is "Ice age mammals from the frozen North". It will be given by Yukon Paleontologist Grant Zazula.
Ever since the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, Yukon miners in search of shiny gold nuggets have uncovered the spectacular remains of ice age mammals. This presentation will feature the phenomenal record of ice age mammals and paleo-environments recovered in the wilds of northwest Canada, including spectacular permafrost preserved animal mummies. Collaboration between gold miners, local First Nations communities and scientists highlights how we work together to understand the past.
Both days are full! We do have a waiting list.
Braceville Field Trip Rules
May 2024
The ESCONI field trips to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils are set for May 4 and 5, 2024 from 9 AM to 3 PM. You can attend one or the other, but not both days. There is an attendance limit of 50 people each day.
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.
Meet at 9 AM at the entrance to the collecting site on S Berta Road, just east of the intersection with Division St (Braceville IL). A nearby landmark for driving directions is the Braceville Gardner Cemetery, 7295 East Braceville Road, Braceville. I can send a small map to anyone that needs it.
This trip is now full.
Danville Field Trip Rules for April 27, 2024
An ESCONI field trip to the Danville Shale Pile for Pennsylvanian fossils is scheduled for April 27, 2024 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.
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.
