WHILE THIS FARM RECREATES THE RECENT PAST, A MORE DISTANCE PAST HAS BEEN
PRESERVED IN STONE.
SOME OF IT CAN BE SEEN IN MACOMB
AT THE MUSEUM OF GEOLOGY ON THE
CAMPUS OF WESTERN ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY.
IT IS A GOING COLLECTION THAT BEGINS IN ONE ROOM, AND SPILLS OUT IN THE HOWL WAY.
YOU CAN DISCOVER DIVERSITY OF
GEOLOGY AND THE MUSEUM.
>> WE HAVE A LARGE CROCODILE
QUARTS.
CROCODILE QUARTS IS INTERESTING
BECAUSE THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF
THE QUARTS AS IT GREW IN THE
GROUND WAS SUCH YOU HAD A MULTI
FACETED BUMPY SURFACE WITH
COLORATION OF IMPURITIES THAT
MAKE IT RESEMBLE A CROCODILE'S
BACK, IF YOU WILL.
THIS SPECIMEN WE HAVE IS TRULY
THE LARGEST I HAVE SEEN.
IT WEIGHS 126 POUNDS WHICH WOULD
BE WELL OVER A MILLION CARRATS
IN WEIGHT.
>> THERE IS ALSO A COLLECTION OF
FOSSILS FOUND AT MAZON CREEK.
IT IS AN AREA KNOWN WORLDWIDE
FOR ITS PRESERVATION IN THE
SOFTER TISSUES OF SOME ANIMALS.
>> WE HAVE EXAMPLES OF CLAMS AND
FISH AND SHRIMP, AS WELL AS WHAT
USED TO BE KNOWN AS BLOBS.
BLOBS WERE LATER DISCOVERED TO
BE PRESERVED JELLYFISH.
YOU CAN IMAGINE BECAUSE
JELLYFISH HAD NO HARD PART,
PRESERVING A JELLYFISH IN A
FOSSIL IS QUITE DIFFICULT AND
ALSO SOMEWHAT RARE.
SO THESE BLOBS TEND TO BE
OVERLOOKED FOR YEARS. BUT NOW
WE ARE FINDING THEY ARE, INDEED,
VERY WELL PRESERVED SPECIMENS.
OUR STATE FOSSIL IS THE TELE MON
STROM GREGARIUM.
MOST UNUSUAL THING IS WE ARE NOT
COMPLETELY SURE WHAT IT IS.
THERE IS NO ANIMAL LIKE IT
BEFORE IT IN THE FOSSIL RECORD,
AND THERE IS NO ANIMAL EXACTLY
LIKE IT AFTER IT IN THE FOSSIL
RECORD.
IT WOULD AT FIRST APPEAR TO BE
SOME SORT OF A SLUG LIKE ANIMAL
OR LIKE A SOME SORT OF SQUID.
IT HAS A LONG PROSTHESIS, WITH
TOOTH BEAK AT THE END, BUT
APPARENTLY THE MOUTH IS NOT IN
THAT BEAK.
THE EYES ARE AT THE END OF A
RIGID BAR, LIKE THE SNAIL,
EXCEPT IT HAD NO ABILITY TO
CONTROL.
THEY WOULD MOVE IN A DIFFERENT
DIRECTION.
IT WAS AT THE END OF A RIGID
BAR.
THE BODY APPEARS TO BE SEGMENTED
LIKE A WORM, BUT IT HAS FEW
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS LIKE A
WORM.
THAT GUESS THAT I HAVE HEARD
RECENTLY IT MAY P A HEDRO
POSDEROID OR A SNAIL.
THEY COME FROM NORTHERN
ILLINOIS.
IN FACT, THEY ARE FOUND ONLY IN
ILLINOIS, NO WHERE ELSE IN THE
WORLD.
WE HAVE LOTS OF ROCK AND NEURO
SPECIMENS, INCLUDING A FAIRLY
GOOD SIZE COLLECT OF STATE
MINERAL, FLOOR ITE FLOURITE.
IT IS PRODUCTION OF STEEL ITEM,
AS WELL AS PRODUCTION OF
FLOURITE OR HYDRO OH FLOOR IC
ACID.
>> WHAT ATTRACTS ATTENTION ARE
THE DINOSAUR BONES AND
REPRODUCTIONS.
LARGEST WHICH DOMINATES THE MAIN
ROOM IS THE HEAD OF A T-REX.
>> IT IS A REPRODUCTION OF ONE
OF THE TWO IN THE AMERICAN
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN NEW
YORK.
REX, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW,
PROBABLY MOST SCHOOL KIDS CAN
TELL YOU, WAS 40 TO 50 FEET
LONG, WEIGHED SOMEWHERE AROUND
EIGHT TONS, AND HAD TEETH
ANYWHERE FROM SIX TO EIGHT
INCHES IN LENGTH. WE HAVE SOME
REPRODUCTIONS OF ARCHEOPRIC,
LIMESTONE IN GERMANY AND BA VAIR
YARKS AND CONTHO HAD MATIS,
WHICH IS CONFUSED WITH.
WE HAVE SEVEN DAILD VERTEBRA
FROM PLAUTICUS, FROM THE
JURASSAC.
THESE VERTEBRA WERE FOUND IN THE
DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT.
AT THAT TIME IT WAS A PRIVATE
DIG FUNDED BY ANDREW CARNEGIE.
WHEN WE FOUND THEM, THEY WERE
STILL WRAPPED IN THE PLASTIC
JACKET.
WE DISPLAYED THEM THAT WAY SO
PEOPLE GET AN IDEA OF WHAT IS
INVOLVED IN TAKING MASSIVE CHUNG
OF ROCK, 700 POUNDS, SHIELDING
IT, JACKETING IT AND SENDING
BACK TO A MUSEUM WHERE IT WILL
BE PAINSTAKINGLY REMOVED TO
EVENTUALLY EXPOS THE PT BONES
AND HAD MOUNT THEM.
THIS IS ALSO USED AS A TEACHING
AIDE, AND IT ATTRACTS CLASSES
FROM AREA SCHOOLS.
>> THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU
WOULDN'T NECESSARILY FIND
ANYWHERE ELSE.
SOME OF THE MATERIAL WE HAVE,
YOU WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL
HUNDREDS OF MILES, IF NOT MAYBE
THOUSANDS OF MILES TO FIND.
UNIVERSITIES, OF COURSE, BY
NATURE, ARE RE'I TORIES OF
KNOWLEDGE. WE THINK IT IN PART
OUR DUTY TO PUT THE MATERIAL
THAT WE HAVE OUT FOR THE PUBLIC
AS WELL AS FOR THE STUDENTS WHO
ARE TAKING CLASSES.
>> THE GEOLOGY MUSEUM IS ON THE
FIRST FLOOR OF TILLMAN HALL ON
THE CAMPUS OF WESTERN ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY'S GEOLOGY MUSEUM, CALL (309)298-1727.