This is Mazon Monday post #208. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com.
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We ran across another great post over on Facebook by Steve Pavelsky in the "Illinois Mazon Creek, and Carboniferous Fossils of the World" group. If you're on Facebook and a fan of Mazon Creek, this is one of a couple fun and interesting groups to follow.
We'll let Steve tell his story...
Here's a strange coincidence and one of the things I often enjoy about falling down rabbit holes when researching random stuff on FB groups..... Back in late January when researching a Missouri Arachnid fossil I found a book image online that had a beautiful Mazon Creek fossil spider on the front cover. I shared that image but in looking at the book contents, discovered that much of the text was written by Gorden Baird, an old teacher (ala U of R / NYSGA field trips in the 1980s) of mine. Much of the content deals with diagenesis which is central to Wisconsin material I've been studying. Today I visited a Old/Rare bookstore that I've been wanting to get to. On the shelf, patiently waiting for me was a copy of "Richardson's Guide to The Fossil Fauna of Mason Creek", priced at $25. Oddly, the next 4 or 5 books I looked at were all similarly priced. I never have experienced this before in a Used/Rare Bookstore. After a while the owner approached me and off the cuff said "...don't worry about the prices - I'll work with you on them...". I thanked him and noted that I thought it was strange. He tried to explain it but not very well. When checking out he told the clerk "Give it to him for $17.95.". When I was waiting to pick my wife up from work I started to look more closely at the book. The title page had been stuck together with the previous page. When separated, there was a nice surprise. The book had been signed by multiple authors, editors and artists. One sig is to a "John" who I think may be "John Prinos" who is thanked in the Acknowledgements for donating specimens. I'm pleased (2 pics follow). I recall thinking, "...Man, I'd like to read those diagenesis chapters by Baird..." and then they fall into my hands. I love when that happens.
The post shows you don't know what you're going to find in old bookstores. The signatures here are worth the price of admission... Charles Shabica, Sam Kruty, Steven Shroka, Don Auler, Andrew Hay, and Walter Lietz. That' Walter's stunning spider on the cover of the book. An amazing specimen, there are treasured casts of it that are both studied and cherished to this day.
So, have a look around and let us know what you find! Thanks for letting us post this Steve!
Well, day 1 is over, but we get to do this again today. Come on out and see what we've got! There's another auction and plenty of gems, mineral, fossils, and... rocks!
Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois
ESCONI
2024
Gem, Mineral and Fossil
Show
March 16th and 17th, 2024
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
Dealer List
Exclusive Inspirations
Fossil Hut
GrabYourRocks
Lavin’s Gems
Rock Stars
Rock’s Rocks
Mineral Miner
Rockhound Mike Minerals
Southwest Treasures
Michael’s Mineral Exchange
Yesterday was a fun day! It was busy.
We caught up with some old friends. That's Andy Jansen, Charlie Schabica, Bob Ulaszek, and Ralph Jewell
We sold the beautiful (and heavy!) chunk of galena.
Lapidary Demonstration
Geode cracking
Junior tables
Found and sold some Don Auler artwork
Book tables
And, plenty of rocks!
These photos are from Ralph Jewell, Anthony Friend, and Rich Holm
Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois
ESCONI
2024
Gem, Mineral and Fossil
Show
March 16th and 17th, 2024
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
Dealer List
Exclusive Inspirations
Fossil Hut
GrabYourRocks
Lavin’s Gems
Rock Stars
Rock’s Rocks
Mineral Miner
Rockhound Mike Minerals
Southwest Treasures
Michael’s Mineral Exchange
Yesterday, was setup day... here are a few photos.
Auction displays
Vendors were setting up their tables...
The junior table is ready!
We have plenty of books...
Anyone want a geode?!?
Displays... including the Field and the Burpee Museums
This is the preview post #22 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Here is a nice specimen of Marcasite on sphalerite from Galena, IL. This will be part of the second Saturday auction.
This is the preview post #21 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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We have an awesome Neuropteris vermicularis from Pit 4, which is the Shadow Lakes area in Braidwood, IL. This one is a good size, 2 halves, but just half the frond.
This is the preview post #20 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Next is a nice Alethopteris lesquereuxii collected back in the 1960's. It's had a little repair, but is still a very nice specimen with great detail. Come on out and have a look!
This is the preview post #19 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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We have more Mazon Creek than we've shown in these previews. Here is a large Cyathocarpus hemiteloides from Dresden, IL. It was collected back in the 1960's by Jim and Sylvia Konecny.
This is the preview post #18 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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This stunning chunk of amethyst will be at the first Saturday auction... lot #130. This is a large beautiful piece that has to be seen in person!
This is Mazon Monday post #204. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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Fossil Friday is here with a beautiful Annularia inflata. A. inflata is the foliage for Calamites, a genus of extinct horsetail "trees". They lived in the coal swamps of the Carboniferous and Permian periods and provide much of the organic material in the coal from those time periods. You can learn more about A. inflata in Mazon Monday #60 and Calamites in Mazon Monday #94.
This gorgeous specimen was found in the Mazon River by long-time ESCONI member Marie Angkuw. She collected the concretion in late summer 2023. It was opened via freeze/thaw this past winter. Thanks for sharing, Marie!
This is the preview post #17 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Time for another auction preview... this one is a very nice reproduction of an actual Mazon Creek fossil roachoid found by Earl and Mary Crornwall, old time ESCONI members. This is a cast of a Promylacris rigida roach found at Dresden Lakes. There is quite a bit of detail in the reproduction... it's not as good as the real thing, but try finding one of these!
This is Throwback Thursday #205. 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 esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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Here is the announcement for the 2013 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. It was held in the same building at the Dupage County Fairgrounds as our 2024 show. And, look at that... also March 16th and 17th. No confusion here!
Scenes from the show.... Geode splitting
Book table, with a younger version of Andy Jansen and Gary Abrell
The Junior Table, spin the spinner
Live Action at the Auction
Shopping
Demonstrations of lapidary. Don still does this
Display cases
This is the preview post #16 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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This beautiful specimen of Aragonite is very clean. It has very nice color. Aragonite makes up most of the mineral content in pearls. It is a common form of calcium carbonate.
This is the preview post #15 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Preview #15 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction is a nice, detailed lob finned fish scale. The photos don't do this one any favors. This is a beautiful piece!
This is the preview post #14 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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We have multiple pieces of native copper from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. These were collected quite a while ago, unfortunately we don't know the locality. They are nice examples of native copper. A little cleanup will bring out the shine!
This is the preview post #13 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Lucky specimen 13 is a nice partial Tullymonster. This one includes the eye bar, some eye pigment, a good portion of the "neck", and mid-body. Tullymonster gregarium is the state fossil of Illinois... I bet you already knew that!
This is Mazon Monday post #207. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com.
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Spiropteris sp. are immature fern fronds. They are also called fiddleheads.
The name Spiropteris was established in 1869 by Wilhelm Philippe Schimper (1808-1880), who was an Alsatian botanist. From 1862 until 1879, he was a professor of geology and natural history at the University of Strasbourg. Schimper made significant contributions to bryology and paleobotany. His biggest contribution was proposing a new division for the geological time scale. He called the new epoch the "Paleocene Era", which was based on paleobotanical findings from the Paris Basin.
Wilhelm Philippe Schimper
The cover of the book "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek" by Jack Wittry features a painting of a fiddlehead.
This painting was created by Peggy Macnamara, who is the Artist in Residence at the Field Museum in the Division of Birds. She has served in that position since 1990. Her website is peggymacnamara.com. This inspiration for this painting is the specimen shown below.
Spiropteris appears on page 141 of Wittry's "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek".
Spiropteris sp. Schimper, 1869
1958. Spiropteris Schimper; Langford: p. 182, fig. 319
1976. Spiropteris Schimper; Crookall: p. 864, pl. 161, figs. 1-5; pl. 166, figs. 6, 8, 9DESCRIPTION: Spiropteris foliage coils from the tip downward. In some examples, leaves are not apparent and appear only as coiled vines.
REMARKS: Spiropteris is common. They are immature leaves of true ferns and at least one known species of seed fern. In the Mazon Creek flora, there are poorly preserved examples of Spiropteris with Laveineopteris rarinervis foliage similar to the vine-type seen in Fig. 3. See Laveineopteris rarinervis. Present-day forms are commonly referred to as fiddleheads.
Specimens
Spiropteris sp.- FMNH PP26844
From Wittry's "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek".
This is the preview post #12 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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How about a nice Mazon Creek worm... Esconites zelus. This a nice specimen collected by a long time ESCONI member - Dick Ade.
This is the preview post #11 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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We have something different for this preview.... a mineral, a large heavy mineral. Galena is the natural mineral form for lead sulfide (PbS). It crystallizes in cubic shapes, sometimes showing octohedral forms. This is a large chunk of galena. It's gorgeous as is, but add a little cleaning will make it look even better....
This is the preview post #10 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Pecopteris notata is one of the rarer fern species from Mazon Creek. This is a very nice example with quite a bit of detail. Come out and see it next week!
This is the preview post #9 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Another day, another Mazon Creek fossil for the 2024 ESCONI show. This one is a gorgeous Crenulopteris acadica, which was a fern. This one was collected by the Konecnys at the Dresden locality near Morris, IL. That site is now unavailable for collecting. This specimen was collected more than 60 years ago on 08/05/1962.
This is Mazon Monday post #203. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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For Fossil Friday this week, we have an absolutely stunning Alethopteris serlii from the Mazon River. This specimen was collected by long time ESCONI member Marie Angkuw. This one was opened via freeze/thaw after being plucked from the river last August.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing, Marie!
This is the preview post #8 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Today's preview is a nice Stilbite crystal from India. Stilbite is a series of tectosilicate minerals in the zeolite group.
This is Throwback Thursday #204. 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 esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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25 Years Ago - March 1999
50 Years Ago - March 1974
70 Years Ago - March 1954
This is the preview post #7 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Today's previous is a stunning crinoid from the Haney Shale from near Anna, IL. This deposit dates to the Chesteran Series in the Upper Mississippian Period. The genus of this specimen is marked as Aphelecrinus.
This is the preview post #6 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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A gorgeous Diplazites unita is preview #6 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. This specimen was collected in the Morris area. It does have a repair, but the venation is quite detailed. Come on out on March 16th and 17th, 2024. We have many nice auction items!
This is Mazon Monday post #206. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com.
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We are looking at another rare Mazon Creek plant fossil, Pseudomariopteris cordato-ovata, which is thought to have grown vine-like. It belongs to the callistophytalean pteridosperms, a group of small, scrambling to climbing forms (Krings and Kerp, 2000). Complete pinnae have been found and some of those had grasping hooks.
P. cordato-ovata was described in 1869 by Christian Ernst Weiss (1833-1890), who was a German geologist, paleontologist, mineralogist, and botanist. He named it Neuropteris cordato-ovata. The name was changed to Pseudomariopteris cordato-ovata by Leo Lesqeureux in 1879. This species is considered problematic by many researchers.
P. cordato-ovata appears on page 172 of Jack Wittry's "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek".
Pseudomariopteris cordato-ovata (Weiss) Krings & Kerp, 2000
1869. Neuropteris cordato-ovata Weiss: p. 28, pl. 1
1879-80. Pseudopecopteris cordato-ovata (Weiss); Lesquereux: p. 205, pl. 37, figs. 4, 5
1938. Mariopteris? ribeyroni Zeiller; Bell: p. 52, pl. 44, figs. 1-8
1958. Mariopteris cordato-ovata (Weiss) Zeiller; Langford: p. 262, fig. 477
1969. Mariopteris cordato-ovata (Weiss) Zeiller; Darrah: p. 123, pl. 63, fig. 2
1978. Pseudomariopteris cordato-ovata; Gillespie et al.: p. 108, pl. 49, fig. 4DESCRIPTION: The ultimate pinna is linear with a straight rachis that sometimes displays a very narrow wing uniting the pinnules. The pinnules rise at a near-right angle and are ovate. On the acroscopic side, there is a cleft and on the basiscopic side, there is a rounded constriction. The pinnules are often strongly vaulted. The venation consists of a decurrent midvein that terminates about two- thirds up the pinnule. The lateral veins rise obliquely, arch slightly toward the margin, and usually fork twice. Occasionally, upper veinlets divide again. Some veins appear to enter directly from the rachis into the pinnule on the basiscopic side only. Veins are immersed in the thick lamina and indicated by creases.
REMARKS: Pseudomariopteris cordato-ovata is very rare and, when found, is often just represented by fragments of pinnae. It is thought to have grown vine-like in life, as complete pinnae have been found with grasping hooks at their ends.
Specimens
Field Museum specimens in Wittry's "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek"
George's Basement has a photo as Mariopteris cordato-ovate.
From the Herrin Fossil Flora - Andrew Young
This is the preview post #5 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Preview 5 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show auction is a nice specimen of Cyclus americanus from Mazon Creek. Cyclus are found in a few Mazon localities, with Pit 11 being the most common. Learn more in Mazon Monday #28.
The Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society is holding our 73rd annual silent auction on Saturday, March 9, 2024, from 6 to 9 p.m., plus a special live auction of high-end items at the end.
Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s
73nd Annual Silent Auction
Saturday, March 9, 2024
6 to 9 p.m.
St. Peter's United Church of Christ
8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie, IL
(Across the street from the public library on Oakton)
This is Mazon Monday post #202. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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This week's Fossil Friday is a beautiful Pecopteris fontainei. P. fontainei is a tree fern from the Mazon Creek fossil deposit. P. fontainei was named by Leo Lesquereux in 1889. Lesquereux worked with a multiple state geologic surveys, eventually writing "Atlas to the Coal Flora of Pennsylvania and the Carboniferous Formation throughout the United States", a three volume publication that was the standard reference for Carboniferous paleobotany for many years. In his 1870 “Report on the Fossil Plants of Illinois”, Lesquereux inadvertently named the Mazon Creek fossil deposit by referring to the Mazon River as a creek.
"At Mazon Creek, the meanders of the stream have dug a broad bed through the bank of shale, and the water, washing for centuries, has uncovered great numbers of concretions and scattered them for miles from their point of origin.”
To learn more about P. fontainei, see Mazon Monday #129.
This fine specimen comes from ESCONI member George Witaszek. George has sent us some very nice fossils over the years... remember his insect? Thanks for the submission, George! Happy Hunting!
This is Throwback Thursday #202. 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 esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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To commemorate the start of Major League Baseball's Spring Training, we are taking a look at a fun little newspaper article that appeared back on October 7th, 1986. You won't find many Mets fans here in Chicago, but we do love our dinosaurs. Just check out the crowds of people at the Field Museum each week to see SUE the largest, most complete, and oldest Tyrannosaurus rex that has ever been found.
Back in October 1986, the Mets were getting ready to play the Houston Astros in the NLCS, after unfortunately beating out our Cubbies (the Cubs finished a dismal and distant 5th). The Village Voice's Jockbeat section featured "Favorite Dinosaurs of the Mets” by humorist Charlie Rubin.
There's a bunch of great "quotes" in there....
Davey Johnson: Ever notice how great teams and great dinosaurs just seem to follow each other around? That was the message I was brought here to impart, in '84. And today, this is significant, while every Met has a favorite dinosaur, it's always a different favorite dinosaur. There's no dinosaur politics on this club. Guy goes on the [disabled list], he finds his dinosaur waiting for him when he comes back ... Before I took the Mets job I had to know from management, "Do I have the authority to lead museum trips as I see fit?"
Frank Cashen: Dinosaurs are important to any winning organization. And when your dinosaurs go, so does your competitive edge. I was talking to [New York Yankees Owner] George Steinbrenner the other day, and he agreed with me. He said, "You know what killed off those great Yankees teams of mine, don't you? Extreme cold and changing vegetation."
Gary Carter, C: Favorite dinosaur? I prefer footprints. Tracks. But darn they're so incredibly rare. Now, what does that remind you of? If you said, "Hall of Fame baseball players," I'm in complete agreement. I mean, we've preserved Babe's bats, his uniforma, his glove. But did anyone ever think to take a plaster cast of his footprints? Now they're lost to forever. What path did Cy Young take from the showers to his locker? All we an do is guess...
Dwight Gooden, P: Absolutely no question, the highlight of my season was finding that claw bone in the late Cretaceous formation just outside our dugout. Scaling up its dimensions, I’d conclude it was from a creature that was about 6-1 and 200 pounds…probably Tom Seaver.
My favorite is Mookie Wilson, the eventual hero of the World Series.
The Mets ultimately won the series 4 games to 2. They then defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that featured some memorable plays. Who remembers Bill Buckner's error (attributed to the Curse of the Bambino) and the call by Vin Scully?
"So the winning run is at second base, with two outs"
"5-5. In a delirious 10th inning. Can you believe this ball game at Shea?"
"Three and two to Mookie Wilson. [A] little roller up along first... BEHIND THE BAG! IT GETS THROUGH BUCKNER! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!"
....
"If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well; and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow!"
Did the dinosaurs help them win in 1986? Maybe?!? They haven't won a World Series since...
Fossil showing the wing and feathers of the prehistoric bird Confuciusornis. Credit: Yosef Kiat
Phys.org has a story about flying dinosaurs. A new paper in the journal PNAS looked at hundreds of feathers in museum collections to determine which feather characteristics were common to flying birds. These characteristics were then used to create "rules", which when applied to fossil dinosaur feathers might predict which dinosaurs were able to fly. The research was performed by two Field Museum scientists, paleontologist Jingmai O'Connor Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles and ornithologist Yosef Kiat, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field.
By applying the information about the number of primary feathers to the overall bird family tree, Kiat and O'Connor also found that it takes a long time for birds to evolve a different number of primary feathers. "This trait only changes after really long periods of geologic time," says O'Connor. "It takes a very long time for evolution to act on this trait and change it."
In addition to modern birds, the researchers also examined 65 fossil specimens representing 35 different species of feathered dinosaurs and extinct birds. By applying the findings from modern birds, the researchers were able to extrapolate information about the fossils. "You can basically look at the overlap of the number of primary feathers and the shape of those feathers to determine if a fossil bird could fly, and whether its ancestors could," says O'Connor.
For instance, the researchers looked at the feathered dinosaur Caudipteryx. Caudipteryx had nine primary feathers, but those feathers are almost symmetrical, and the proportions of its wings would have made flight impossible. The researchers said it's possible that Caudipteryx had an ancestor that was capable of flight, but that trait was lost by the time Caudipteryx arrived on the scene.
Since it takes a long time for the number of primary feathers to change, the flightless Caudipteryx retained its nine primaries. Meanwhile, other feathered fossils' wings seemed flight-ready— including those of the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx, and Microraptor, a tiny, four-winged dinosaur that isn't a direct ancestor of modern birds.
Fossil Friday also did a segment on this research.
An Archaeopteryx fossil, complete with visible imprints of its feathers. Credit: Shutterstock
Not all birds can fly. Penguins, ostriches, and kiwis are some famous examples.
It’s pretty easy to figure out if a living bird can fly. But it’s a bit tricker when it comes to extinct birds or bird ancestors, like dinosaurs. Remember, all birds are dinosaurs, but not all dinosaurs evolved into birds.
Scientists at Chicago’s Field Museum wanted to figure out if there was a way to tell if a dinosaur could fly or not. They found that the number and symmetry of flight feathers are reliable indicators of whether a bird or dinosaur could lift off the ground.
Ira talks with two of the study’s co-authors about their research and how it might help us understand how dinosaur flight evolved. Dr. Yosef Kiat is a postdoctoral researcher and Dr. Jingmai O’Connor is the associate curator of fossil reptiles at The Field Museum in Chicago.
This is the preview post #4 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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Here are some very nice chunks of Turritella Agate from the Eocene Epoch. Unfortunaely, the locality is unknown. It is very detailed and in excellent condition.
This is Mazon Monday post #205. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com.
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Cyathocarpus hemitelioides is one of the rarer ferns from the Mazon Creek biota. C. hemitelioides was named in 1834 by Adolphe-Theodore Brongniart (1801 - 1876), who was a French paleontologist, considered by many to be the father of paleobotany.
There are questions about whether it is even a valid name. Pecopteris (Cyathocarpus) hemitelioides has at times been mistaken for Pecopteris (Cyathocarpus) arborescens (arborea), Crenulopteris subcrenulata, and Pecopteris (Diplazites) unita. It should be noted that the Mazon Creek type specimens differ from Brongniart's type example.
C. hemitelioides appears on page 104 and 105 of Jack Wittry's "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek".
Cyathocarpus hemitelioides (Brongniart) Mosbrugger, 1983
1834. Pecopteris hemitelioides Brongniart: p. 314, pl. 108, figs. 1, 2
1888. Pecopteris hemitelioides Brongniart; Zeiller: p. 133, pl. 11; figs. 6, 7
1924. Asterotheca hemitelioides Brongniart; Kidston: p. 519, pl. 117, figs. 1, 2, 4, 5
1938. Asterotheca robbi Bell: p. 74, pl. 72, figs. 3-6; pl. 73, fig. 1, 2; pl. 74, fig. 1; pl. 76, fig. 1
1958. Asterotheca hemitelioides Brongniart; Langford: p. 159, fig. 267
1958. Asterotheca candolleana (non Brongniart); Langford: p. 160, fig. 271 (re-figured here as Fig. 5); non text
1962. Pecopteris (Asterotheca) hemitelioides Brongniart; Bell: p. 34, pl. 21, fig. 3
1971. Scolecopteris Pfefferkorn: p. 21, fig. 8, non fig. 7; pl. 12, figs. 1-4
1979. Asterotheca hemitelioides Brongniart; Janssen: p. 132, fig. 114DESCRIPTION: The ultimate pinna is linear-lanceolate. The rachis has scattered pits which may represent the bases of hairs. At about two-thirds of the way along its length, the pinna gently tapers to a blunt apex. The pinnules are vaulted, vary in length on the same pinna, pubescent when well-preserved, alternate, lie perpendicular or slightly oblique with parallel sides, and terminate in a blunt, rounded apex. The thick midvein is straight, non-decurrent, and extends almost to the apex. The lateral veins are oblique, simple or rarely fork once at the base (see Fig. 2 inset), and are straight or sightly recurved. Occasionally at the pinnule margins, the lateral veins display expanded tips known as hydathodes or water stomata (see Fig. 5 inset). This feature has been mistaken for a small fork or synangia. On fertile examples, the synangia grew on a recurved stalk, and are most frequently found lying sideways and parallel to the lateral veins on the abaxial surface of the pinnule. As they matured, the sori descended and became more upright. The sori have an asterothecoid appearance with 4 or 5 sporangia. The isolated spores are correlated with Laevigatosporites globosus (Pfefferkorn et al., 1971).
REMARKS: Cyathocarpus hemitelioides is uncommon. The use of the name C. hemitelioides for this form clearly needs critical reexamination. The fertile structures and pinnule shapes seen in the Mazon Creek flora do not appear to be like those in Brongniart's type example. The name is retained for now, using the same interpretation as Kidston (1924) and Zeiller (1888) before him, on forms which have similar features to those seen here.
Specimens
Field Museum specimens
From Wittry
This is the preview post #3 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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How about a nice Tullymonster gregarium for a Sunday morning? This partial Tully has the eyebar and the probosis, which is rarely found. Come on out and this nice little Tully could be yours!
Nature on PBS have posted quite a few of their videos to Youtube. "Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster" was just posted!
Follow Sir David Attenborough and a team of forensic experts as they unearth the fossil of a giant Pliosaur, the largest Jurassic predator ever known. Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster premieres on February 14, 2024.
Watch on your local PBS station, the PBS video app, online, and here on YouTube through March 13, 2028.
Official site: https://bit.ly/3vGDTHm | #NaturePBS
This is Mazon Monday post #201. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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We have a nice Crenulopteris acadica (see Mazon Monday #115) for today's Fossil Friday. Sometimes, they don't come out of the freeze/thaw in one piece. Unfortunately, this one needed a little repair. It's not as obvious from the fossil face, but pretty obvious when you see the back of the concretion.
This is Throwback Thursday #202. 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 esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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A cover from 1957
Rock & Minerals magazine has been in existence since 1926. They are currently published by Taylor and Francis. Here are their "Aims and scope" directly from their website.
Publishing on specimen mineralogy, mineral localities, geology and paleontology since 1926.
Rocks & Minerals, with its treasure-trove of in-depth, relevant feature articles and spectacular color images, has been enticing hobbyists and academics alike since 1926. Through the years it has evolved into a highly respected, award-winning journal for all who are interested in specimen mineralogy, mineral localities, geology, and paleontology. Its international community of readers savors the diversity of articles and trusts in their peer-reviewed, authoritative content. Regular columns explore such topics as minerals for the collector; microminerals; recent books, videos, and DVDs; coming events; museum news; and personalities in the field. Detailed lists of collecting opportunities in specific areas are published periodically, as are special theme issues.
Rocks & Minerals works with the Mineralogical Society of America to bridge the gap between collectors and professional mineralogists, and it is affiliated with the Friends of Mineralogy, the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies, and the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies.
ESCONI was founded on November 11th, 1949 in Bill Allaway's basement. In the January/February 1950 edition of Rocks & Minerals magazine, ESCONI appeared in the "CLUB AND SOCIETY NOTES" section for the first time. Stevens T. Norvell III wrote the article. Stevens was the first club treasurer. He wrote many articles for the ESCONI newsletter over the years, even after moving to Colorado in 1952. There was a contest to design the ESCONI logo in March 1950, which Stevens won (see Throwback Thursday #169).
NEW EARTH SCIENCE CLUB FOR NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS
Friday evening. November 25, thirty enthusiastic people met at the home of Dr. I. G. Spiesman of Downers Grove, Illinois, to organize an earth science club for the benefit of those living in the populous suburban area between Chicago and Aurora, north of Joliet. Mr. William H. Allaway acted as temporary chairman. Several committees were formed, and the balance of the evening was spent in listening to a lecture by Stevens T. Norvell on, "Geological Features of the West." It was illustrated with eighty kodachrome slides.
No name was selected for the club. This will be done at the next meeting when those present will be requested to write their suggestions for a club name on a black board. The club name will then be selected by ballot, and the author of the winning name will be awarded a slab of blond opalized wood from Logan, Montana.
An invitation to attend a meeting is extended to everyone interested minerals, fossils, geologic formations, ancient man, gold or silver smithing. For full information as to where the meeting will be held and how to get there, call Stevens T. Norvell on phone, Western Springs 2831 (Chicago phone, Lawndale, 1-5000, extension 1881) or Mr. William M. Allaway on phone, Downers Grove 129-J.
Stevens T. Norvell,
4449 Howard Avenue,
Western Springs, III.
PBS Eons has a new episode over on Youtube. How do you hold a gender reveal for dinosaurs.
While we think we know a lot about dinosaurs – like how they moved and what they ate – for a long time, we haven’t been able to ID one seemingly basic thing about their biology... Which are males and which are females?
This is the preview post #2 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.
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This week's preview for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction is an absolutely gorgeous specimen of Fluorite from Rosiclare, Illinois. There were a number of mines in southern Illinois around Hardin and Pope Counties. Did you know that Fluorite is the Illinois State Mineral? Enjoy and come see it in person at the show!
This is Mazon Monday post #204. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com.
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Reconstruction of Psaronius, Illustrated by Auguste Faguet (1877)
Caulopteris sp. are the branch scars of the tree fern Psaronius. Psaronius is an extinct genus of marattialean tree fern. The genus Psaronius is used to describe both the tree trunk and the whole plant. Psaronius tree fern fossils are found from the Carboniferous through the Permian. The foliage of the various species would have been the fronds Pecopteris, Crenulopteris, Sphenopteris, Astrotheca, among others. It might seem odd that individual plant parts have different species names. Paleobotany follows a system called form genera. Form genera is used when the true relationships between fossils is unclear. Form genera are artificial groups of organisms that are grouped together based on morphological resemblance. For example, all fossilized roots of scale trees are assigned to the form genus Stigmaria.
There were four different configurations of branch scars on Psaronius.
Psaronius stem surface petiole base configurations. A. Caulopteris . B. Megaphyton . C. Hagiophyton . D. Artisophyton
The branch scars were first named Megaphyton in 1825 by Edmund Tyrell Artis (1789-1847). Artis was a British geologist, artist, and a pioneer of paleobotany and archaeology. Megaphyton is identified when scars are shown to run in opposing and parallel lines down the length of the branch. Caulopteris was named in 1832 by John Lindley (1799 - 1865) and William Hutton (1797-1860). They wrote a series 3 volumes which described the fossil flora of Great Britain called "The Fossil Flora of Great Britain: of Figures and Descriptions of the Vegetable Remains Found in a Fossil State in this Country".
John Lindley (1799 - 1865) was an English botanist. He was employed early in his career as the assistant librarian to Sir Joseph Banks. In 1822 he became the Assistant Secretary to the Royal Horticultural Society and from 1829 to 1860 he was first Professor of Botany at the University of London and lecturer in botany to the Apothecaries’ Company (1836). He then became a Professor of Botany at Cambridge University. His Report to Treasury and Parliament in 1838 led to the preservation of the Royal Garden at Kew. He described the plants of Mitchell's expeditions to Australia (1838) and an Appendix to the Botanical Register (1839) described plants of the Swan River Colony, Western Australia. His pioneering three-volume work of palaeobotany of England, was first published between 1831 and 1837. The work catalogues almost 300 species of fossil plants from the Pleistocene to the Carboniferous period. The geologist and paleontologist William Hutton (1797-1860), was responsible for collecting the fossil specimens on which the plates were based.
Caulopteris sp appears on page 84 of Jack Wittry's "A Comprehensive Guide to the Mazon Creek Fossil Flora"
Caulopteris sp. Lindley & Hutton, 1832
Megaphyton sp. Artis, 18251825. Megaphyton Artis: p. 20, fig. 20
1832. Caulopteris Lindley and Hutton: p. 121, pl. 42
1955. Caulopteris. Crookall: p. 54
1958. Caulopteris. Langford: p. 129
1976. Caulopteris. Pfefferkorn: p. 9DESCRIPTION: These tree fern trunks have branch frond scars arranged either spirally around the trunk (see Fig. 6) or, more likely, in two opposing and parallel lines down its length (see Fig 1). The scars are more often found individually in Mazon Creek nodules as large, circular, oval, or elliptical coriaceous disks. They have an outer vascular trace which circles inside and more or less follows the outer edge. Inside of that is an inner trace, which can take on many forms, from a straight line to a sideways and stylized C-shape.
REMARKS: Caulopteris scars are very rare and are confined in age to the Westphalian D. This genus has been split into around 100 species. It has now been shown that many of these species-which were mostly based on vascular trace shape are growth stages and do not represent taxonomic differences. Presently, authors prefer to refer to similar forms from a single locality as form-species, e.g., Caulopteris sp. A, B, C, and so forth. All Caulopteris forms are based on the height-to-width ratio of the frond scar. Form A is the roundest, and D the most elongated. Another genus erected for tree fern trunk scars is Megaphyton, which has scars very similar to Caulopteris. The two scars cannot be distinguished when found individually. Megaphyton is used only when it can be shown that the scars occurred on the trunk in two opposing and parallel lines down its length. Due to the relatively small size of Mazon Creek fossils, this is seldom seen.
Specimens
From "A Comprehensive Guide to the Mazon Creek Fossil Flora"
From George's Basement
From Leo Lesquereux's "Atlas to the Coal Flora of the Pennsylvanian and the Carboniferous Formation Throughout the United States", Plate LX
Life reconstruction of Jiangxititan ganzhouensis. Image credit: UnexpectedDinoLesson / Sci.News.
SciNews has a story about the discovery of a new Titanosaur. The animal, Jiangxititan ganzhouensis, lived between 72 and 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The fossils were found in the Nanxiong Formation near Tankou Town in Ganzhou City, the Chinese province of Jiangxi, which is commemorated in the name. J. ganzhouensis is a sauropod dinosaur and belongs to the Titanosauria dinosaur clade. Details can be found in the paper "A New Titanosaurian Sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Jiangxi Province, Southern China" in the journal Historical Biology.
Jiangxititan ganzhouensis represents the second sauropod species from the Nanxiong Formation.
“The Late Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation is represented by an extensive sequence of red mudstones, sandstones and conglomerates,” the paleontologists wrote.
“It has yielded a diverse array of vertebrates in recent years, including theropods, ornithopods, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and mammals, as well as a vast number of dinosaur eggs.”
PBS Nova has posted the full documentary "When Whales Could Walk" on Youtube. Whales had legs... What?!?
In Egypt’s Sahara Desert, massive skeletons with strange skulls and gigantic teeth jut out from the sandy ground. This fossil graveyard, millions of years old, is known as the “Valley of the Whales.” Now, paleontologists have unearthed a whole new species of ancient whale dating to 43 million years ago, and this predator wasn’t just able to swim – it also had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to the winding evolutionary path of mammals that moved from the land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth.