Monthly Archives: April 2012

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: the classic bioclaustration (Upper Ordovician of Ohio)

We’re looking at two fossils above. One is the bryozoan Peronopora, the major skeletal structure. The second is the odd series of scalloped holes in its surface. These are a trace fossil called Catellocaula vallata Palmer and Wilson 1988. They … Continue reading

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A very damp field trip

FAIRBORN, OHIO–I actually used to brag about the great weather on my class field trips. The hubris! Today Shelley Judge and I took our combined Sedimentology & Stratigraphy and Structural Geology classes to Oakes Park Quarry near Dayton for a … Continue reading

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Wooster Geologists at the 2012 Senior Research Symposium

WOOSTER, OHIO–Six Wooster geology seniors presented their research to the campus and public this morning in Kauke Hall on the College of Wooster campus. They were among the first posters in the annual Senior Research Symposium in which Independent Study … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: a nestling bivalve (Pleistocene of The Bahamas)

This weathered and encrusted shell was pulled from a round hole bored in a Pleistocene reef (about 125,000 years old) exposed on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. It is Coralliophaga coralliophaga (Gmelin 1791), a derived venerid bivalve (a type of … Continue reading

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Wet and Cold Wooster Geologists in the Silurian of Central Ohio

DAYTON, OHIO–It was 37°F and raining this morning as three stalwart Wooster Geology students and I worked in a muddy quarry near Fairborn, Ohio (N 39.81472°, W 83.99471°). Our task was to scout out a beautiful exposure of the Brassfield … Continue reading

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Expanding Horizons in Geology

WOOSTER, OH – The Wooster Geologists are pleased to be part of the Expanding Your Horizons Program, a science workshop aimed at encouraging young women to consider science as a career. This year’s topics ranged from sunscreen to marshmallow-spaghetti towers. Our workshop … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A scale tree root in its own soil (Upper Carboniferous of Ohio)

Last week a local man, Larry Stauffer, brought in the above fossil for identification and then kindly donated it to the department. It is part of the root system of Lepidodendron, the “scale tree” of the Carboniferous Period. What is … Continue reading

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Sand and Gravel in the Holmesville Moraine

The College of Wooster Geomorphology class set out to explore the Holmesville Moraine, a 20 minute drive south of Wooster straight down the Killbuck River Valley. It was a beautiful day, except for the rain. The first stop was Holmesville … Continue reading

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A Drool-Worthy College Museum

AMHERST, MA – Last weekend, some Wooster Geologists attended the Keck Symposium at Amherst College and were awed by their geology museum. The Beneski Museum of Natural History  is housed in a modern building and covers three floors, displaying over 1,700 specimens. The museum … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: A calcareous sponge with a crinoid holdfast (Matmor Formation, Middle Jurassic, Israel)

The Class Calcarea of the Phylum Porifera is a group of sponges characterized by spicular skeletons made of calcium carbonate (calcite in this case). The spicules (small elements of the skeleton) are often fused together, causing the sponges to look … Continue reading

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