Daily Archives: November 15, 2009

A very bored Permian brachiopod

Mark Wilson November 15, 2009 11:29 am

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS–I never get tired of that too-obvious joke. I found the above productid brachiopod on the last outcrop of our little Texas expedition. It has been drilled by barnacles, which leave a distinctive slit-shaped hole with a tiny … Continue reading →

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Two West Texas outcrops: which looks more inviting?

Mark Wilson November 15, 2009 11:27 am

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS–The upper one is the base of the Valera Formation on US Highway 84 (N31.88196°, W99.47115°) and the lower one is the lower Bead Mountain Formation on Route 6 near Albany; both are Permian and both have delicious … Continue reading →

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The puzzle of gypsum

Mark Wilson November 15, 2009 11:25 am

Our Permian sections on this Texas trip have had thick beds of gypsum only a meter or three beneath our fossiliferous limestones and shales. Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is an evaporite mineral, indicating when the Permian shallow sea in this case … Continue reading →

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A new family of fossil clams from the Triassic of Israel

Mark Wilson November 15, 2009 8:46 am

The latest issue of the journal Palaeontology has an article describing a new family of large clams from the Triassic of southern Israel. The authors include Allison Mione (’05), who pursued this project as part of her geology Independent Study. … Continue reading →

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