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ESCONI's Braceville Shaft Mine Trip 9-19-20


Nimravis

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This morning I drove out to Braceville, Illinois to meet a group of ESCONI (Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois) members for one of the annual Braceville Shaft Mine trips to collect Mazon Creek concretions. The temp at 7:45 am was a brisk 45 degrees, but warmed up quickly. As in past visits, I brought 7 buckets of fossils so the leaders could dump out for the participants. On this trip I brought opened Mazon Creek concretions, Pliocene shells and some dugong bones from Florida, Echinoids from Morocco, Pennsylvanian, Ordovician and Mississippian hash plates and some other miscellaneous fossils. I only spent 1 hour at the site, for the purpose of taking pictures. I know that there were Fossil Forum members present, but alas, I do not know the tag names. I do know that Rich @stats was there, but we did not see each other.

 

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At 8:00 am  people who have attended this trip before began to walk the 1/4 mile in to the collecting area.

 

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Others stayed by the cars for a quick tutorial on the area and what they are going to look for as well as the rules for visiting this Private area.

 

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Here are some pics of the area and the approximate 50 participants that attended today's trip and there will probably be that many tomorrow.

 

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CONTINUED ON NEXT POST-

 

 

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Here are a few pieces of coal. Most of the kids on the trip have never seen and held a piece of coal.

 

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The following pictures show how the concretions are found. At this site it is beneficial to search the rivlets as you climb the hill and when you make your way back down, you should continue to check the area since concretions are found that you missed going out.

 

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CONTINUED ON NEXT POST-

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IMG_1829.jpg.7a09b90366a5e2ea0aeb0ad952f068b1.jpgIMG_1830.jpg.77fcc28d2386c0377127e1e8d8de06c3.jpgIMG_1831.jpg.2e74476b16717dc4226588a68a06bbfa.jpgIMG_1833.jpg.6fb0620b466627a636622d3e20ed498f.jpgIMG_1834.jpg.ce03b19bcc3b5040b62e69bd8a2c4c02.jpgIMG_1835.jpg.70d96bb4a279b05544b8aee0701202f3.jpgIMG_1836.jpg.0820b1edd4bd74091f65d470635bbaa9.jpgIMG_1837.jpg.8bb2cfda38e1802e7c8aefe1601e2ed7.jpgIMG_1838.jpg.ade65d6688a5515b0303434b330102df.jpgIMG_1839.jpg.ade0eb13b7c656e49272b9f4fba928be.jpgIMG_1840.jpg.a9c1a338b8e62816d6084c9b9ec6b498.jpgIMG_1843.jpg.a7d6d50508b90c6e0a57244e2a9f6d8b.jpgIMG_1844.jpg.bc99fd148d46880ef3e94c8e01e04aef.jpgIMG_1845.jpg.21aa16476f9202506c671c45ce3c5bb0.jpgIMG_1846.jpg.4568930accd820378ae610efcc929d56.jpgIMG_1847.jpg.0623a4350d93394abe74470ec85514ed.jpgIMG_1848.jpg.5aae1f942be969a8085fb1d2e4d45cd9.jpgIMG_1849.jpg.cd9281e3f952d0924af56610f2258fba.jpgIMG_1850.jpg.afb07cfe9eed999e493399108ea50f85.jpgIMG_1851.jpg.243b4017d934f4184ec782467c65fbde.jpgIMG_1852.jpg.12476e295a9848281f1dcae2a13cb958.jpgIMG_1853.jpg.55bc4dc37f52a03553d62d8fd3ae4e28.jpgIMG_1854.jpg.e28bd3a45337b965eade9a2f6a14dcf2.jpgIMG_1860.jpg.a3148482262360a8b61f73e04737d0d9.jpgIMG_1863.jpg.8c372e0c2a2a7c7c3d9ddc9b22b3a64f.jpg

 

My only opened fossil was an Essexella asherae Jellyfish, which I gave to a young lady.

 

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If you have not been on this trip and you are not an member of ESCONI, you should join. ESCONI has many great things to offer, including trips like this.

 

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Awesome report, Ralph @Nimravis!  Sorry I missed you.  I was a little late as I had a little car trouble this morning as my head lights were left on and I had to jump my car.

 

There a few TFF members. I saw Chris @bigred97, Phil @flipper559, met Connor @connorp for the first time, and @Roby was in charge of the trip.  Please speak up if I left anyone off.

 

Ralph, thanks for the fossils (again) and the plug!  We will be back at tomorrow.  Hopefully, we can bring back a few more promising concretions!

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

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Hi Ralph and Rich. I need to learn what your faces look like so I can say hi. I had a fun time. Came home with a bucket full of what I think are concretions. It will be interesting freeze-thawing them and seeing just how many red rocks I picked up. It was nice meeting @connorp

 

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Here are some of the opened finds from today. 

 

A partial fern found by Connor. 

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Someone identified this as potential being part of a worm.

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No clue. Maybe a plant? Seeds?

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Great photos as always, Ralph, looks like another super outing. 

But won't people get confused finding Pliocene stuff, Ordovician and Mississippian stuff all mixed together? 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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1 hour ago, Praefectus said:

Hi Ralph and Rich. I need to learn what your faces look like so I can say hi. I had a fun time. Came home with a bucket full of what I think are concretions. It will be interesting freeze-thawing them and seeing just how many red rocks I picked up. It was nice meeting @connorp

 

Someone needs to shout out, 'WHO'S FROM FOSSIL FORUM? at the start of these things.

And if not, why not? 

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Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Someone needs to shout out, 'WHO'S FROM FOSSIL FORUM? at the start of these things.

And if not, why not? 

Tomorrow (and next year) for sure!

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

 

But won't people get confused finding Pliocene stuff, Ordovician and Mississippian stuff all mixed together? 

I was thinking the same thing Adam!

 

Still, good on you Ralph @Nimravisfor the large donation of fossils for the folks to find, and thanks for the great photos and report! Looks like a great time was had by all! :) 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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Awesome photos & information!

As a total newbie to Mazon Creek fossils, I have learned so much from this great group of people!

Thanks!  

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Thanks for the pictures @Nimravis and @Praefectus! Man, just looking at those nicely shaped concretions makes my heart ache, I miss collecting. This was a perfect weekend for it too. Hopefully next year I will be able to get back out there again.

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This site seems to be producing more and better concretions than it did 10 years ago, and the hill looks much smaller than I remember. Looks pointier on top. Can't wait to see what comes out of the concretions. There's a couple there that hint at Tullymonster.

 

As always, thanks for the report and photos, Ralph. Good stuff.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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1 minute ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

There's a couple there that hint at Tullymonster.

Have tullies been found here? Braceville is Essex biota so I don't see why not, but I have not heard of any before.

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3 minutes ago, connorp said:

Have tullies been found here? Braceville is Essex biota so I don't see why not, but I have not heard of any before.

I seem to recall fragments of Tully from that site many years ago, although I'm not sure of it. Don't know what's been found in the last 10 years, but I think Ralph can give us an idea. As you said, it's Essex so it's possible.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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@Nimravis thanks for the awesome trip report and for bringing so much material to share. I picked up a hash plate at the end of the day and was absolutely thrilled by it. Crinoid stems and shells mostly, I have nothing like it. I spent a good amount of time marveling at it with a magnifying glass this morning. Very cool!

 

It was great to see everyone, including meeting @connorp for the first time. It was a great day! Chris

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4 hours ago, connorp said:

Have tullies been found here? Braceville is Essex biota so I don't see why not, but I have not heard of any before.

As Mark said, rumors of Tully parts, but really nothing.  I heard a few old timers say that Tully parts were found at Chowder Flatts.  I think Tullys are only really known from Pit 11.

 

Cheers,

Rich

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1 hour ago, stats said:

I think Tullys are only really known from Pit 11.

For now:fingerscrossed:

 

This was definitely one trip where, even if I find nothing, I will still look back on it fondly. It was great meeting many of you and the weather was certainly much better than the rain last September. I'm very much looking forward to the spring trip.

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21 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Great photos as always, Ralph, looks like another super outing. 

But won't people get confused finding Pliocene stuff, Ordovician and Mississippian stuff all mixed together? 

That may not mess them up, but the Moroccan stuff might :heartylaugh:

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7 hours ago, DustyRose said:

Awesome photos & information!

As a total newbie to Mazon Creek fossils, I have learned so much from this great group of people!

Thanks!  

That is what I try to do with my posts, glad you liked it, and welcome to the Forum.

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7 hours ago, deutscheben said:

Thanks for the pictures @Nimravis and @Praefectus! Man, just looking at those nicely shaped concretions makes my heart ache, I miss collecting. This was a perfect weekend for it too. Hopefully next year I will be able to get back out there again.

It was perfect and the wal out was not muddy, which is a big plus when bringing out the buckets to dump.

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7 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

This site seems to be producing more and better concretions than it did 10 years ago, and the hill looks much smaller than I remember. Looks pointier on top. Can't wait to see what comes out of the concretions. There's a couple there that hint at Tullymonster.

 

As always, thanks for the report and photos, Ralph. Good stuff.

Thanks Mark

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1 hour ago, Nimravis said:

That may not mess them up, but the Moroccan stuff might :heartylaugh:

Especially the bits made out of glue and sand.^_^

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Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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7 hours ago, connorp said:

Have tullies been found here? Braceville is Essex biota so I don't see why not, but I have not heard of any before.

I have never found any there, but others may have.

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6 hours ago, bigred97 said:

I spent a good amount of time marveling at it with a magnifying glass this morning.

Thanks and I do the same, they are one of my favorite things.

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