Monthly Archives: May 2011

A gecko’s end

Mark Wilson May 31, 2011 11:32 am

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–What is Will examining so intently? There was drama on the outcrop this afternoon. We are used to seeing cute little geckos clinging to the rocks we study. As we skirted the edge of a limestone cliff, Will … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists at the Siege of Lachish (2700 years later)

Mark Wilson May 30, 2011 11:59 pm

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–Every time I visit the British Museum in London, I examine the fascinating relief from Nineveh showing The Siege of Lachish. The detail is extraordinary as the story is told in sequence through dozens of panels. It is … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists at the Center of the World

Mark Wilson May 30, 2011 11:44 pm

Our visit to Jerusalem was to meet geologists at the Geological Survey of Israel main complex in the western part of the city. Those discussions went very well and we met new people and learned much. Will and I also … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists return to the Dead Sea

Mark Wilson May 30, 2011 3:09 pm

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–Today Will and I went to Jerusalem for meetings at the Geological Survey of Israel headquarters. Much more on that later. On the way Yoav drove us along the west coast of the Dead Sea. Will got a … Continue reading →

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Mishash, b’gosh

Mark Wilson May 29, 2011 1:55 pm

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–Today Will and I drove south, east and north to meet Dr. Yael Edelmen-Furstenburg of the Geological Survey of Israel. She gave us a most excellent tour of the Mishash (pronounced ME-shawsh) Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) in the … Continue reading →

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Incidents of Travel in Southern Israel

Mark Wilson May 29, 2011 11:23 am
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A wall of Cretaceous ammonites

Mark Wilson May 28, 2011 3:11 pm

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–On our way back from Eilat this afternoon, Will and I took a short hike to see the “Ammonite Wall” on the southern outside beds of Makhtesh Ramon. It is an impressive tilted array of large ammonites in … Continue reading →

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A visit to a dying reef system

Mark Wilson May 28, 2011 11:17 am

EILAT, ISRAEL–When I first visited the Underwater Observatory Marine Park outside Eilat on the Red Sea coast near the Egyptian border, I was enchanted. An elegant steel and glass tower was built into a reef so that you can descend … Continue reading →

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A rare late May rain in the Negev

Mark Wilson May 28, 2011 10:25 am

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–The only other time I’ve seen rain in southern Israel was with Elyssa Krivicich on our March 2008 trip. By May the rains are done in this part of the world. Nevertheless, it rained last night and then … Continue reading →

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Cobbling together a Late Cretaceous story

Mark Wilson May 27, 2011 10:08 am

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–This morning Will and I finished our work with the Zihor/Menuha boundary cobbles. We drove to the southern side of Makhtesh Ramon (pictured above) to see the same units we examined 25 kilometers to the north in Wadi … Continue reading →

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