Wooster Geologist at Niagara Falls

1 American FallsLOCKPORT, NEW YORK (August 10, 2015) — I know, such a cliché image, but you know it had to happen on this trip. This morning Andrej Ernst and I packed up 78 pounds of bryozoan-rich Silurian rocks and mailed them to Kiel, Germany. (Thank you to the kind and patient people at both UPS and the USPS.) We celebrated our success with a trip to Niagara Falls. Above is the view of American Falls from Prospect Point.

I can’t recommend going to Niagara Falls at the height of the season, especially since the parking system seems to be in disarray and run by 14-year-old boys, and the lines are like Disneyland on the Fourth of July. Nevertheless, there is no way I’m going to let the German visitor spend a week in Niagara County and not see the main attraction.

2 Cave of the Winds MWYellow plastic ponchos and sandals are for the regular public, not geologists.

3 Andrej wet 081015Andrej is very pleased to intimately meet the water pouring over the falls. We tried not to remember that it all flows from Lake Erie.

Tomorrow I take Andrej to a Buffalo hotel where he will wait until his flight back home to Germany. I then make the long drive back home to Wooster. A successful end to my 2015 field season. Lots of ideas now for next year!

Please use the tag NY2015 for a link to all the posts on this trip.

For our records, here are the localities visited on this trip —

GPS # Location Latitude, Longitude Notes
112 Caleb’s Quarry N 43.20092, W 78.46021 Bryozoans in Lewiston E
113 Gasport Quarry N 43.19973, W 78.54436 Lewiston E, Burleigh Hill contact
114 Gasport Road N 43.19144, W 78.57550
115 Niagara Rd/Railroad North N 43.17556, W 78.72086 Top of Lewiston B
116 Niagara Rd/Railroad South N 43.17377, W 78.72364 Top of Lewiston E
117 Cherokee Unconformity N 43.18355, W 78.70266
118 Craine Street N 43.17995, W 78.71020 Gasport Formation, glacially-truncated fossils
119 Hickory Corners parking N 43.18435, W 78.75449 Reynales, Hickory Corners Member; Aeronian
120 Niagara Gorge Lewiston B N 43.14851, W 79.04095 Lewiston B; Sarle Reefs
121 Buffalo Creek South N 42.84728, W 78.60229 Wanakah; Rhipidomella beds
122 Buffalo Creek North N 42.84871, W 78.60202 Wanakah; Pleurodictyum beds
123 Bethany Center N 42.93250, W 78.13408 Centerfield Limestone Member, Ludlowville
124 Hickory Corners SR93 site N 43.18464, W 78.75394 Reynales, Hickory Corners Member; Aeronian
Jeddo Creek Tributary N 43.20175, W 78.47350 Carl’s “washings” locality; top of Lewiston B

About Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson is a Professor of Geology at The College of Wooster. He specializes in invertebrate paleontology, carbonate sedimentology, and stratigraphy. He also is an expert on pseudoscience, especially creationism.
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