Monthly Archives: March 2013

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A pretty little fish from the Eocene of Wyoming

Mark Wilson March 31, 2013 1:10 am

Most people have seen this fossil fish type. Geologists, in fact, have probably seen Knightia eocaena Jordan, 1907, thousands of times. It is present in nearly every gift shop that sells fossils, usually as small plaques or glued to refrigerator … Continue reading →

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The field trip scout

Mark Wilson March 30, 2013 7:23 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–One of the early spring pleasures of a geologist in the Upper Midwest is finally getting outside and scouting the field trips for the semester. Today we had bright sun and temperatures in the 50s (I know — I’m … Continue reading →

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Dr. Michael Mann visits Wooster

Mark Wilson March 28, 2013 8:01 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–We were honored this week when Dr. Michael E. Mann, one of the world’s foremost climate-change experts and a leader in the efforts to educate the public about anthropogenic effects on the atmosphere, came to Wooster as part of … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A grazed oyster from the Middle Jurassic of Gloucestershire, England

Mark Wilson March 24, 2013 1:46 am

This small oyster is not in itself unusual. In fact, it is one of the most common fossils in the Jurassic of western Europe: Praeexogyra acuminata (Sowerby, 1816). It may be better known by its older name: Ostrea acuminata. Local … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Mark Wilson March 20, 2013 11:34 pm

BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA–While visiting my friends and colleagues Katherine and Pedro Marenco at Bryn Mawr College, I visited the nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park. Everyone will remember, of course that this is the place outside Philadelphia that the Continental … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: Cast of a lower jawbone of the largest ape ever (Pleistocene, southern China)

Mark Wilson March 17, 2013 1:42 am

The above is one of my favorite “fossils”, a commercially-available cast of the lower jawbone of Gigantopithecus blacki, a giant extinct ape. It was produced from an actual Pleistocene fossil found in a cave near Liucheng, Guangxi, in southern China. … Continue reading →

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Last day in the Mojave Desert for Wooster Geologists … this year

Mark Wilson March 15, 2013 12:54 pm

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA–We left the fine people at the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx in the morning and drove in an all-too-irregular way through Las Vegas (sorry about that, other drivers!) to the spectacular Red Rocks National Conservation Area northwest … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Tecopa region … and finally the trilobites!

Mark Wilson March 14, 2013 10:39 pm

ZZYZX, CALIFORNIA–This was our last full day of geological adventures in the Mojave Desert for 2013. The weather was even warmer than yesterday, with the temperature in Baker at 4:00 p.m. a delightful 94°F. We began in the usual way … Continue reading →

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Enjoying the geology of the Mojave National Preserve

Mark Wilson March 13, 2013 7:58 pm

ZZYZX, CALIFORNIA–Today the Wooster Geologists explored the Mojave National Preserve. It is a beautiful, spacious, diverse place well maintained and protected by the National Park Service. Our first stop of the morning is shown above. We explored a lava tube … Continue reading →

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Folded rocks, volcanoes, and a little of the Old West

Mark Wilson March 12, 2013 7:44 pm

ZZYZX, CALIFORNIA–The spectacular set of folds above are exposed in the lower parking lot of Calico Ghost Town near Barstow, California. This is a famous site that has been visited by hundreds of geologists, but there are still many mysteries … Continue reading →

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