Monthly Archives: August 2010

Another Wooster Geologist in Montana

sjudge August 15, 2010 11:17 pm

In an earlier blog, Jesse Davenport (2011) described some of this experiences this summer while working on his Keck project in Montana. Jesse is still in SW Montana, although his official last day in the field is August 16. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

The military advantage of holding the Upper Cretaceous chalk highlands

Mark Wilson August 15, 2010 12:08 pm

VIENNE LE CHATEAU, FRANCE–There is one strong geological control of warfare in northern France: the high areas are often thick, resistant Upper Cretaceous chalk while the valleys and plains below are usually poorly-consolidated greensands and clays. We’ve already seen these … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Wooster Geologist in France

Mark Wilson August 14, 2010 9:50 am

VIENNE LE CHATEAU, FRANCE–I’m on the last part of my European trip this summer. The International Bryozoology Association post-conference field trip ended in Frankfurt yesterday. I rented a car at the Frankfurt airport and drove southwest into northeastern France where … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Messel Fossil Pit: A world-class experience

Mark Wilson August 13, 2010 11:23 pm

FRANKFURT, GERMANY–Last year at this time I had the privilege of visiting the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale on an expedition led by my friend Matthew James of Sonoma State University in California. It was an extraordinary opportunity to visit one … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tunnels yet again — and a loess connection

Mark Wilson August 13, 2010 5:06 pm

OPPENHEIM, GERMANY–This jewel of a town, with its large cathedral, half-timbered buildings and narrow streets, share surprising geological connections with Vicksburg, Mississippi — a city visited by Wooster geologists earlier this summer. Both are river towns which profited in good … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A rainy day in the Mainz Basin

Mark Wilson August 12, 2010 3:49 pm

OPPENHEIM, GERMANY–I want this termed Wilson’s Law: “The amount of mud encountered at an outcrop is inversely proportional to the quality of the fossils found.” Maybe it is my desert heritage, but I absolutely detest mud on my boots. Especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Wooster Geologist on the Rhine

Mark Wilson August 11, 2010 3:43 pm

OPPENHEIM, GERMANY–Our International Bryozoology Association field trip started the day in the little town of Prüm looking at Devonian limestones and shales, and then we drove to Boppard where we boarded a Rhine River ferry for a trip upstream to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Geology and religion: le Grand Animal de Maastricht

Mark Wilson August 10, 2010 3:25 pm

MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS–Next month I am giving a talk on campus about evolution in a lecture series on “science and religion”. I was particularly intrigued, then, to hear a story about the famous mosasaur discovered in the Maastricht tunnels that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

The best Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary yet

Mark Wilson August 10, 2010 1:30 am

MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS–The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (K/T, or as I should be writing, the “Cretaceous-Paleogene” boundary, or K/Pg) has been one of the Wooster Geology themes this summer. We saw it in Alabama and Mississippi in May, and in Israel in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Now I know why they call it Big Sky country…

sjudge August 9, 2010 11:18 pm

Guest Blogger: Jesse Davenport That is, when you look outside all you see is sky for miles upon miles upon miles upon…well you get the picture. It is extremely beautiful here. In Island Park, Idaho, we are sitting right on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments