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Illinois Valley

University program explores Mazon Creek fossils from 300 million years ago

Free session June 25 in Granville will explain how ancient swamp life was preserved in the Illinois Valley

The University of Illinois Extension will explore Illinois’s prehistoric past through Mazon Creek fossils on June 25. "With a careful tap from a rock hammer, a split nodule may reveal a beautifully preserved seed-fern leaf, a shrimp or millipede, or even a Tully monster," explains a 1994 survey of Mazon Creek, conducted by graduate students at the University of California Berkeley. "This is the Carboniferous-age Mazon Creek locality...whose uniquely preserved fossils provide a glimpse of the history of many organisms that would otherwise have left little trace." ((Photo from I&M Canal National Heritage Area))

By Shaw Local News Network

The University of Illinois Extension will explore Illinois’s prehistoric past through Mazon Creek fossils on June 25.

The one-hour program begins at 11 a.m. at the Putnam County Library – Granville Branch, 214 S McCoy St.

Mazon Creek, located in the Illinois Valley, is known worldwide for exceptionally preserved fossils dating to roughly 300 million years ago, when the region was covered in tropical swamps. The program will explain how these fossils formed, what they reveal about ancient ecosystems, and why the area remains significant to paleontologists.

Attendees will learn about notable fossil finds and the state’s geological history.

The program is free and open to the public. Register online at go.illinois.edu/FossilGranville.

For questions or accommodations, contact Emily Hansen at emhansen@illinois.edu or 815-433-0707. Early requests are encouraged.

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