Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Fossil Friday #230: Trilobites from Penn Dixie #fossils #paleontology #FossilFriday #trilobites #penndixie #devonian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #230.  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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Penn Dixie is on most fossil collectors' bucket lists.  I experienced the "Digging With the Experts" event last year and had a great time.  I would definitely recommend.  You will find nice trilobites (enrolled and prone), horn corals, and brachiopods galore, along with the occasional rare cephalopods and crinoids.  Trilobites can be found in groups, sometime with 7 on the same plate!

At last weekend's Braceville field trip, we got to talking to Tim Rogers, who was on his first Mazon Creek trip.  He mentioned Penn Dixie and some of his finds.  Well, he sent along a few photos and we just had to share them here.  He has not one, but two amazing Greenops boothi and multiple Eldregeops rana (sometimes still referred to as Phacops rana). 

Thanks for shaing, Tim!  Hope to see you out there next year!

Greenops boothi

Eldregeops rana

A nice cruziana... a trilobite trackway

The before and after on the Dipleura head is amazing!

Hello, Paleo Joe!

Here's a nice plate just loaded with fossils

Fossil Friday #229: Tullymonstrum gregarium #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #statefossil #tully #tullymonster

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #229.  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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A beautifully preserved Tullymonstrum gregarium is our Fossil Friday for this week. T. gregarium was designated as the the State Fossil of Illinois in 1989.  It's named for Francis Tully, an amateur collector who found his first specimen during the summer of 1955.  He brought a few specimens to the Field Museum to show Eugene Richardson, Jr., who didn't know what it was.  Richardson referred to it as "Mr. Tully's Monster".  The name stuck, and when Richardson formally described the animal in 1966, he named it Tullymonstrum gregarium.

The Tully monster’s discoverer, Francis Tully, at a Field Museum Members’ Night in 1987. (Ron Testa/Field Museum)

This stunning fossil was recently acquired by ESCONI member Jeremy Zimmerman.  It has some interesting 3-dimensional preservation.   Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!

Fossil Friday #228: Mazon Creek Annularia inflata #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #pennsylvanian #horsetail #annularia

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #228.  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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This week's Fossil Friday is a beautiful Annularia inflata (see Mazon Monday #60) from the Kodat/Benson farm, which was declared a Nationat Historic Landmark in 1997.  This fossil was collected in 2023.  It opened via freeze/thaw.  Enjoy!

Fossil Friday #227: Belotelson magister #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #shrimp #pennsylvanian #fossilshrimp

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #227.  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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It's Friday and that means it's time for another Fossil Friday!  Today, we have another nice Mazon Creek shrimp.  This fine specimen is Belotelson magister (see Mazon Monday #13), which is the most common shrimp found in Pit 11.  B. magister was described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1886.  Packard was an entomologist and paleontologist who described over 500 new animal species.

This beautuful fossil photos were sent in by ESCONI member Greg Nagle.  He's a long time fossil collector.  I have had the pleasure of collecting with him and his friend John Zenino on a few occasions at Braceville and most recently at the Napolean Quarry in Napoleon, IN, where we did really well hunting cystoids.  Thanks for sharing, Greg!

Fossil Friday #226: Acanthotelson stimpsoni from Pit 11 #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #shrimp #pit11 #pennsylvanian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #226.  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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Drawing from George Langford Sr.

For this week's installment of Fossil Friday, we have a sweet little Acanthotelson stimpsoni (Mazon Monday #52).  A. stimpsoni was a syncarid shrimp.  It was named for William Stimpson.  Stimpson worked at the Smithsonian Institution and was later the director of the Chicago Academy of Sciences.

This beautiful little guy was found in Pit 11 by George Witaszek and Dan Quasney.  They collect together and each found a half on different trips to Pit 11 earlier this year.  They've both contributed to Fossil Friday in the past.  Who could forget George's gorgeous Trigonocarpus sp. (Fossil Friday #62), his amazing Pecopteris fontainei (Fossil Friday #202), and the finely detailed Diplazites unita (Fossil Friday #50).  Dan' sent us a beautiful Rhabdoderma exiguum (Fossil Friday #210) earlier this spring.  Thanks for the contribution, guys!  We hope your luck keeps up!

Fossil Friday #225: Annularia inflata #fossils #paleontology #FossilFriday #MazonMonday #annularia #horsetail #calamites

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #225.  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 very colorful Annularia inflata from the Mazon River.  Annularia is some of the foliage from Calamites.   It was described by Leo Lesquereux in 1870.  For more information,  see Mazon Monday #60.

This beautiful specimen was collected from the Mazon River by Jeremy Zimmerman.  Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!

 

Fossil Friday #224: Alethopteris serlii #fossils #paleontology #seedfern #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #pennsylvanian #paleobotany

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #224.  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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Alethopteris serlii is always a favorite.  They are usually distinctive fossils, quite often preserved in 3-D.   A. serlii was a seed fern from the Carboniferous Period.   It is fairly common found in the  Mazon Creek fossil deposits.  It was named by Alexandre Brongniart (1770 - 1847) in 1836.  For more information see Mazon Monday #57.

This particular specimen was collected in Pit 11 quite a few years ago.

Fossil Friday #223: Acanthotelson stimpsoni #fossils #paleontology #shrimp #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #pennsylvanian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #223.  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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This week, we have a nice little syncarid shrimp called Acanthotelson stimpsoni.  It's one of the most common shrimp found amongst the Braidwood fauna of Mazon Creek.  A. stimpsoni was described in 1865 by F.B. Meek and A. H. Worthen.  Fielding Bradford Meek and Amos Henry Worthen,  They collaborated on many papers through the years. Meek worked at the USGS.  A.H Worthen was the second state geologist of Illinois and the first curator of the Illinois State Museum.  He has an extensive fossil collection, which now resides at the Prairie Research Institute PRI at the University of Illinois.  A. stimpsoni was named for an early contributor to American science - William Stimpson. Stimpson was a contemporary of Meek and Worthen.  He worked at the Smithsonian Institution and was later the director of the Chicago Academy of Sciences.

This sweet little specimen was found earlier this year in Pit 11 by Caden McDonald.  You might remember is beautiful Annularia sphenophylloides, which was featured in Fossil Friday #166.  Thanks for sharing, Caden!

Fossil Friday #222: Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #braidwood #seedfern #paleobotany #plantfossil

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #222.  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 Macroneuropteris scheuchzerii from the Mazon River at the Kodat Farm locality.  M. scheuchzeri is extremely common is some localities, such as the Mazon River in Morris.  It was named for Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, a Swiss physician and natural scientist in the 1700's.  The genus was changed from Neuropteris to Macroneuropteris in 1977 after extensive studies of European examples showed differences from Neuropteris in the frond architecture and the cuticle.  For more information, see Mazon Monday #39. 

This beautiful specimen has insect damage, which is not uncommon in seed fern pinnules from Mazon Creek.  We received these photos from Marie Angkuw, who collected this fossil in the summer of 2023.  Thanks, Marie!

Fossil Friday #221: Edestus heinrichi Shark Tooth #fossils #paleontology #FossilFriday #pennsylvanian #shark #sharktooth #illinois #edestus #sharkweek

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #221.  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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Artist's reconstruction of the extinct Holocephalian Edestus heinrichi

Another contribution to Shark Week.... an Edestus heinrichi shark fossil jaw with a tooth.  Edestus sharks are known from the Pennsylvanian Period.  The genus was established by Joseph Leidy in 1856, when he described Edestus vorax.  Edestus is one of the sharks known for its strange tooth whorl, which consisted of a singe row of teeth.  Research suggests they didn't shed like modern sharks, instead they grew new teeth at the back of their mouth pushing older teeth to the tip of their jaws.  Leidy is considered one of the founders of American vertebrate paleontology.

Edestus heinrichi was described in 1970 by John Strong Newberry and Amos Henry Worthen.  Worthen was the second state geologist of Illinois and the first curator of the Illinois State Museum.  The holotype was found in Illinois, but has been lost.

John Strong Newberry

A.H. Worthen

This specimen of Edestus heinrichi tooth and jaw was found in the Herrin Fm. near Lively Grove, IL.  Lively Grove is in southern Illiniois, just southeast of St. Louis, MO.

Fossil Friday #220: Annularia inflata #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #pennsylvanian #annularia #horsetail #calamites #paleobotany

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #220.  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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Annularia inflata is out Fossil Friday for this week.  We chose it to commemorate the 4th of July holiday.  It's pinnules resemble a firework display.  Annularia inflata is the foliage of Calamites.  It's related to modern day horsetails.  Find out more here Mazon Monday #60 and Mazon Monday #94.

This particular specimen was found in the Pit 3 locality.

Fossil Friday #219: Neuropteris vermicularis - Terminal Pinnule #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #seedfern #neuropteris #pennsylvanian #illinois

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #219.  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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Neuropteris vermicularis is a seed fern (see Mazon Monday #95).  It was described by Leo Lesquereux in 1866.  Lesquereux described much of the North American Carboniferous flora in the mid 1800's as a consultant to various US state geological surveys.  His book "Atlas to the Coal Flora of Pennsylvania and the Carboniferous Formation throughout the United States" written from 1879 to 1884 was the standard reference for the Carboniferous flora in the US for many years.  Lesquereux is credited with naming "Mazon Creek" in his 1870 "Report on the Fossil Plants of Illinois”, when he inadvertently referred to the Mazon River as a creek.

Quite often, the terminal pinnule of N. vermicularis is preserved along with the whole frond.  In this case, we have just the distinctive terminal pinnule.  This specimen was collected from the Pit 2 locality and opened via the freeze/thaw method.

Fossil Friday #218: Rhabdoderma elegans from the Field Museum #fossils #paleontology #coelacanth #FossilFriday #MazonCreek #fish #fossilfish @FieldMuseum #pennsylvanian #FieldMuseum

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #218.  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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Rhabdoderma elegans was described by John Strong Newberry in 1856 as Coelacanthus elegans.  Newberry (1822 - 1892) was an American physician, geologist, and paleontologist.  He participated as a naturalist and a surgeon on three expeditions to explore and survey the western states during the 1850s.  He served in the US Sanitary Commission during the Civil War.  Among his many post war positions, he was professor of geology and paleontology at Columbia University, chief geologist of the Geologic Survey of Ohio, a member of the Geologic Survey of Illinois, and president of AAAS.

John Strong Newberry

Coelacanthus elegans was moved to Rhabdoderma elegans in 1937 by James Alan Moy-Thomas based on work by Otto Maria Reis.  Reis proposed the Carboniferous coelacanths should be separated from the Triassic and Jurassic species due to morphological differences in the shape of the first dorsal fin support and the pattern of ornament on the scales.  See The Coelacanth Rhabdoderma in the Carboniferous of the British Isles" by Peter Forey in 1981.

Up to 1937, most authors grouped species of Carboniferous coelacanths in the genus Coelacanthus Ag. , a genus founded on the Permian C. granulatus Ag. , and which also included Triassic and Jurassic species (Woodward 1891). Moy-Thomas, however, reinstated a suggestion by Reis (1888, pp. 71-72) that the Carboniferous species should be separated as the genus Rhabdoderma. Reis pointed out that the Carboniferous species are distinguishable by a well-developed ornamentation of closely spaced ridges and tubercles on the scales, lower jaw, andgular plates. To this Moy-Thomas was able to add further features by which the Carboniferous species differed from the type-species of Coelacanthus: these included the presence in Rhabdoderma of a triangular coronoid (versus rectangular), a basipterygoid process (absent in C. granulatus), and the absence in Rhabdoderma of ossified ribs and the presumed absence of an extracleithrum (both present in the Permian species). But these additional features, while enabling Rhabdoderma to be distinguished from C. granulatus , do not allow it to be distinguished from other coelacanth genera. For example, a triangular coronoid is present in Wimania, a basipterygoid process is present in Diplocercides, ossified ribs are absent from most coelacanths, and the extracleithrum is absent from Macropoma. In other words, these character states are not synapomorphies for the recognized species of Rhabdoderma. Furthermore, in two features (the presence of a basipterygoid process and the absence of an extracleithrum) previous statements and interpretation have to be modified (pp. 206, 211). But there do seem to be two features peculiar to Rhabdoderma ; scales bearing an ornament of ridges which converge to the midline of the scale (Reis 1888) and the kidney-shaped endochondral support of the first dorsal fin (Schaeffer 1941). A definition of Rhabdoderma incorporating these features would also reflect the primitive position of the genus amongst coelacanths (p. 224).

During a recent visit to the Field Museum, Arjan Mann, the new Assistant Curator of Fossil Fishes and Early Tetrapods, showed us a huge Rhabdoderma elegans from Mazon Creek.  This stunning  fossil fish was in a very large layered concretion, which looked similar to concretions found in the Mazon River near Morris, IL.  Thanks for sharing, Arjan!

 

 

Fossil Friday #217: Cordaites borassifolius #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #conifer #pennsylvanian #illinois #paleobotany

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #217.  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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Whole-plant reconstruction of Cordaites borassifolius (Sternberg) Unger (reconstruction by J. Svoboda).

Here is a nice Cordaites borassifolius from Pit 3.  It was collected in 2023 and opened via freeze/thaw.  Cordaites is an extinct genus of early gymnosperms.  Cordaites probably grew to more than 100 feet tall in swampy conditions, forming forests similar to modern day mangroves.

Cordaites borassifolius was named by Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (1761 - 1838) in 1821.  Sternberg was a Bohemian theologian, minerologist, geologist, entomologist, and botanist.  He is widely known as the "Father of Paleobotany".

Fossil Friday #216: Lycopodites meekii #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #lycophyte #lycopod #pennsylvanian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #216.  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 foliaged lycophyte twig from Mazon Creek.  These plant parts are called Lycopodites meekii and were described in 1870 by Leo Lesquereux.  L. meekii could be the terminal branches of Bothrodendren minutifolium or a similar plant.  These plants were herbaceous resembling the modern day Lycopodium, a club moss.  For more information see Mazon Monday #125.

This specimen was collected from Pit 11 a few years ago.  It was opened via freeze/thaw.

Fossil Friday #215: Another Stunning Myriacantherpestes From Kansas! #fossils #paleontology #FossilFriday #MazonCreek #millipede #CGMA #kansas #pennsylvanian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #215.  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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Ok, it's not from Mazon Creek, but is from the Pennsylvanian Period.  This absolutely stunning millipede, Myriacantherpestes sp., from the famous Hamilton Quarry in eastern Kansas.  That quarry is considered a Late Carboniferous lagerstatte.  It's produced unusually well preserved fossils of plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates, including large winged insects, water scorpions, and, of course, stunning millipedes (see Fossil Friday #134 for another millipede).  This deposit is a little younger than Mazon Creek at about 295 million years ago.  The depositional environment shows it to have been  a river estuary.

This beautiful specimen was on full display (and for sale!) by Doug DeRosear of DeRosear Fossils at the CGMA show on Memorial Day weekend.  The fossil is about 6 in (15 cm) long.  It was found around 1980 and purchased by Doug.   Thanks for sharing, Doug!

Fossil Friday #214: Alethopteris sullivanti #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #illinois #pennsylvanian

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #214.  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 very large single pinnule of Alethopteris sullivanti (see Mazon Monday #37).  A. sullivanti is a seed fern (Pteridospermatophyta), which is a group of plants that went extinct during the late Cretaceous Period.  It was described by Leo Lesquereux in 1869.  It was named for William Starling Sullivant (1803-1873).  Sullivant was an American botanist and a friend and colleague of Lesquereux.  Sullivant and Lesquereux published two editions of the book Musci Boreali-Americani Quorum Specimina Exsiccata (1856, 1865), which is about mosses indigenous to eastern North America.

Specimens of Alethopteris are often 3 dimensional and can be quite striking.  This large specimen was found in the Pit 3 locality in the spring of 2024.

Fossil Friday #213: Euproops danae #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #horseshoecrab #illinois #pennsylvanian #euproops

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #213.  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's Fossil Friday entry, we have a beautiful little horseshoe crab from Mazon Creek.  This is a Euproops danae.  E. danae was described in 1865 in "Notice of some new types of organic remains from the Coal Measures of Illinois" as Belinurus danae in the journal Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.  The paper was authored by Fielding. B, Meek and Amos. H, Worthen in 1865.  Worthen used the image above in his famous Geologic Survey of Illinois.

E. danae was later moved to the genus Euproops in 1994 by Lyall I. Anderson in "Xiphosurans from the Westphalian D of the Radstock Basin, Somerset Coalfield, the South Wales Coalfield and Mazon Creek, Illinois".   Have a look at Mazon Monday #21 for more information.

This sweet little specimen comes to us from ESCONI member Andrew Young.  He and Joan Bledig have been editors on the last three ESCONI Mazon Creek books by Jack Wittry.  Andrew found this gorgeous guy in the Pit 3 locality.  Thanks for sharing, Andrew!

Fossil Friday #212: Mazon Creek Crenulopteris acadica #fossils #paleontology #fern #paleobotany #MazonCreek #FossilFriday #pennsylvanian #illinois

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #212.  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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This week's contribution comes from a very long time ESCONI member... Lil Magnussen.  Lil joined ESCONI back in the 1960's and rarely misses our Braceville field trips.  You might remember, she let us post a very nice horseshoe crab in Fossil Friday #177.  Her hobbies include beekeeping!  And, she makes some very good cookies!

To learn more about Crenulopteris acadica, have a look at Mazon Monday #115.

Lil collected this beautiful fossil specimen from the Mazon River in August of 2023 at the Canal Corridor Mazon Creek outing.   Thanks for sharing this gorgeous fern, Lil!

Fossil Friday #211: Lemont Calymene From the Past #fossil #paleontology #trilobite #FossilFriday #lemont #calymene #trilobites #silurian #history

This is the "Fossil Friday" post #211.  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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This week, we have a combination Throwback Thursday and Fossil Friday.  We have some spectacular Calymeme celebra trilobites.  These C. celebra lived about 425 million years ago during the Silurian Period.  They were collected and prepared by the Wanda Boush (nee Lambert), who joined ESCONI in 1958.  She worked with Jean Reynolds and a few others on the ESCONI newsletter during the 1960's.  And, in the 1970's, she served as Corresponding Secretary.  She enjoyed all the ESCONI Study Groups, of which there were many back then.

Here's a photo of Wanda from 1966 at Houghton, MI.  They were there for the Copper County Rock and Mineral Club's annual show.  Wanda provided this photo and more for ESCONI's 25th Anniversary in 1974.  Wanda is in the center of the back row.

Harriet & Cal George, Steve & Dan, Wanda Boush, Kathy & Harold Schmedlin

Wanda joined Western Electric in 1941, working at the old Hawthorne Works in Cicero, IL.  ESCONI's roots go back to that facility as Bill Allaway, Doc Hoff, and other founding ESCONI members all worked there (see Throwback Thursday #99).   The club grew out of their shared rockhound interests.

Recently, Wanda reached out to us to donate some fossil and gem material to the club.  She's currently living in Alamo, Texas, which just celebrated its 100th birthday.  They made her Centennial Queen as at 102... she's older than the town!  The photo below is from the Winter Texan Times.

Several museum “Friends” along with the Centennial Queen, 102-year-old Wanda Boush, long time Alamo resident, were at the presentation where the Mayor J.R. Garza and commissioners indicated they were pleased with the gift to the city. The quilt will be on display first at the Alamo City Hall until the end of the year and then can be seen at the local museum starting in 2025.

She grew up in Clarendon Hills, IL. and always loved trilobites.  The ones she sent us were collected in Lemont, IL.  She prepared them by hand with a hammer and a nail punch.  She was mighty handy with that nail punch as these bugs look very nice!   

Thanks for sharing, Wanda!  There trilobite are happy to get back home in Illinois.