Jerry Zhu posted this stunning example of Peachocaris strongi to the "Illinois, Mazon Creek, and Carboniferous Fossils of the World" group on Facebook a few weeks ago. The concretion was collect from Pit 11. From the looks of it, it must have opened via freeze/thaw.

Well, we know how Alan Keith is spending his summer vacation... freeze/thawing his Mazon Creek concretions. Although, probably not out in the hot Texas sun. Alan had this nicely detailed Octomedusa piekorum (see Mazon Monday #54) open up recently.

This is Mazon Monday post #295. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Michele Micetich, curator of the Carbon Hill School Museum, provided the photos in this post. The photos are part of the Tom Testa collection at the museum. On the back of the photos, there are notes written by Ida Thompson to Melbourne McKee, a chemist for the Peabody Coal Company in the Coal City area.

This is the preview post #8 for the 2026 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction.  The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2026 will be held on March 21th and 22nd at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year.   All details can be found here. Today is opening day of fossil collecting season at the Mazonia-Braidwood State Park.

I had a chance to catch up with Jack Wittry at the Field Museum this weekend. He mentioned that he had tracked down the insect whose name we first encountered at Tom Testa Day at the Carbon Hill School Museum back in June. At the time, Jack wasn't sure whether Carbohymen testai was actually a valid name. After doing some digging, he not only confirmed the species, but also located the actual fossil in the Field Museum's collections!

Keeping with the history theme, here's a photo from a field trip to Pit 11 most likely from the 1980's. You can see Braidwood Station in the background. Construction on August 1st, 1975 and completed in 1988.

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Thus ends another busy Thursday night of NHL hockey.0:00 Intro0:19 WSH-BUF3:03 CBJ-FLA5:19 PHI-NYR8:15 DET-PIT11:27 OTT-TB14:17 NJ-TOR17:14 MTL-NYI20:37 WPG-...

『access ELECTRIC NIGHT 2026』ツアーファイナル6.7東京・豊洲PIT11年目の“エレナイ”もとてつもなく斬新だった――accessの二人にとっても特別なライヴである『acce

This is Mazon Monday post #297. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. We often focus on the beautiful fossils found in the Mazon Creek deposit, but sometimes overlook the rich history that surrounds them. Coal mining played a central role in shaping the Wilmington, Braidwood, and Coal City area, from the deep shaft mines of the mid-1800s to the massive strip mining operations of the 20th century.

This is Mazon Monday post #296. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Jim Turnbull, namesake for Anthracomedusa turnbulli (see Mazon Monday #278), worked for Abbott Labs for many years. Abbott has/had an internal newsletter called "AbbotTopics". In the October 8th, 1965 edition, Jim is the subject of an article titled "Prehistoric Insect Discovery May Bear Abbott Man's Name".