Monthly Archives: June 2009

Last Field Day in Russia

Mark Wilson June 14, 2009 2:39 am

NEAR KHAMONTOVO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–Last night we had our last group dinner (shashlyk — essentially shish kebab — and delicious brown bread) and lively conversation (most of which I missed, of course, but still enjoyed).  There were over a dozen … Continue reading →

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From Spring to Summer in One Hour

Mark Wilson June 13, 2009 2:37 am

NEAR KHAMONTOVO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–Yesterday’s light rains in the morning gave way wonderful sun, as I described earlier.  Then a massive thunderstorm, almost as large as those in Ohio, crashed through and dropped probably an inch of rain in just … Continue reading →

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The Beauty of the Russian Countryside

Mark Wilson June 12, 2009 2:35 am

SYAS RIVER, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–The weather today was as has been predicted ever day: “changeable”. It is much warmer than last week, though, and there are more periods of sunlight. Today began with a light drizzle, and then the sun … Continue reading →

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The War Was Not Long Ago

Mark Wilson June 11, 2009 2:29 am

PUTILOVO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–Nearly every evening one of the many vodka toasts of our geological party is: “To the great victory over the Germans!”  This may be because all of our study sites were on one frontline or another during … Continue reading →

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On Not Knowing the Language of Your Colleagues

Mark Wilson June 10, 2009 2:27 am

NEAR KHAMONTOVO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–By the end of this summer I will have worked with five different languages: Hebrew, Russian, Finnish, Norwegian, and Estonian.  Six if you count the political lecture I received in Arabic from a Syrian Druse in … Continue reading →

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How Russian Geologists Remove a Tick

Mark Wilson June 9, 2009 2:27 am

NEAR KHAMONTOVO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–Using about 25 cm of thread, they tie a simple slip knot in the center.  The loose loop of this knot is placed around the tick’s body and then worked down to its embedded head.  The … Continue reading →

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Goal!

Mark Wilson June 8, 2009 2:23 am

BABINO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–Today we visited an active quarry, which is a different experience from the riverbank exposures and abandoned quarries we have been frequenting.  Quarry mud has a special character — a kind of purified mud, the kind of … Continue reading →

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Typical Geological Field Day in This Part of the World

Mark Wilson June 8, 2009 2:20 am

LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–Before I describe the usual routine we have for this fieldwork, I should note that we are in the “Leningrad Region”, which is distinct from the “St. Petersburg Region” in a formal political sense.  The Leningrad Region is … Continue reading →

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Tree Ring Dating of Revolutionary War (and some later) Buildings in PA and OH

gwiles June 7, 2009 9:15 am

This summer the Wooster Tree Ring Lab is funded by the College of Wooster’s Center for Entrepreneurship to date buildings of historical interest using tree rings. The crew in this endeavor is shown above and includes – Dr. Greg Wiles, … Continue reading →

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The Other Kind of Deep History

Mark Wilson June 7, 2009 2:16 am

STARAYA LADOGA, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–This place, known as “Old Ladoga” is where the Russian state began.  It is an important trade junction situated on the Volkhov River not far from where it enters Lake Ladoga.  The Viking roots of this … Continue reading →

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