NEXT MEETING Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Doors open at 6:30pm
Program begins at 7pm
Meeting Information
Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at the Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 N.E. 6th Street, Pompano Beach, Florida 33060, 954-786-4111.
In 2026, due to conflicts with other events or city closures at the Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, our General meeting dates have been rescheduled to the 3rd Wednesday for November 18th.
Doors open at 6:30 pm when all can enjoy the Raffle Table, Sand Flea Market, and Library. The Monthly Program begins at 7 pm. Buy a raffle ticket to for a chance to win the Shell of the Month. Everyone is welcome.
Read the beautiful The Oyster and the Sand poem here.
Monthly Program – SEPTEMBER 2026
Carson Ciesinski, MSC, a holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and is currently a PhD student in the Department of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University. His research focuses on paleoecology and paleoceanography, and his current work deals with the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction. While this event is more commonly known as the extinction of the dinosaurs, his work centers on the environmental qualities of marine settings before the extinction event with an emphasis on foraminifera, ostracods, and stratigraphy. Carson’s experience in science goes beyond research, as he has held several roles as an educator in higher education, private schools, and environmental centers.
Carson will be presenting Lithostratigraphic and Microfossil Analysis of a K/Pg Boundary Surge Deposit in Southwestern North Dakota
For 35 million years of the Cretaceous period, the central portion of North America was inundated by a shallow marine environment known as the Western Interior Seaway. At its maximum extent, this ecosystem provided interconnection between arctic and tropical marine environments that allowed for a growth of biodiversity in marine reptiles, mollusks, sharks, and bony fish. The geologic history of the Western Interior Seaway shows that it was a dynamic ecosystem that featured largescale fluctuations in water depth, salinity, and temperature over time that is observed not only from outcrop data but from the fossilized evidence of life that once inhabited it.
A fascinating component of the Western Interior Seaway’s history is how little is known about its final regression and eventual termination at the end of the Cretaceous period. Many interpretations have been proposed for the geographic range of the seaway during this regression, but the timing of these is poorly constrained, as are their effects on the paleoceanography of the seaway and its inhabitants. This talk will provide a summary of work that aims to provide context for the terminal Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway that has not been possible due to the lack of well-preserved stratigraphy available for this transition. Utilizing an analysis of clay composition, marine microfossil content, as well as isotope geochemistry, this work will, for the first time give us insights into the salinity, temperature, and ecology found within it directly before the most recent mass extinction in Earth’s history.
SHELL OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER 2026
Our Shell of te Month for September is a pair of the stunning Vexillum filiaaregina Cate, 1961. It is a large miter, white in color encircled by alternating wide orange and a narrow black bands.Its name was declared invalid due to a technicality and so far no replacement has been found. It could be a color form of Vexillum regina, Sowerby, 1828.
Our shells were collected by divers on a sandy bottom at 25’ off of Batayan Island, Ceby, Philippines. They area over 65mm in length
They were originally offered by Showcase Shells of Sanibel and were donated by Richard Kent.
Broward Shell Club 
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