Author Archives: mwilson

About mwilson

Mark Wilson is an emeritus 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.

A Visit to The Galilee

mwilson September 5, 2009 4:18 pm

ROSH PINA, ISRAEL–This weekend my friends the Avni family took me on an overnight trip into the Galilee. It was spectacular and highly informative — they called it the “Mark Continues to Discover Israel” tour. The ostensible purpose was to … Continue reading →

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A Most Unusual Clam from the Triassic of Israel

mwilson September 5, 2009 3:48 pm

MAKHTESH RAMON, ISRAEL–The Triassic was a time of unusual evolutionary innovations.  The Permian extinctions immediately before the Triassic may have wiped out up to 95% of marine animal species, so the survivors had considerable “empty niche space” to fill as … Continue reading →

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A Jurassic Ammonite Up Close

mwilson September 3, 2009 2:24 pm

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–I can’t help but show off the ammonite I found today in the middle of the Matmor Formation (Goldberg Subunit 51) at Makhtesh Gadol.  These photos are the best I could do on a kitchen sink with overhead … Continue reading →

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Tools of My Trade (At Least for Today)

mwilson September 3, 2009 10:21 am

MAKHTESH GADOL, ISRAEL–The fieldwork could not have been better, although if you watched me all day in the desert sunlight you would have thought otherwise. After I hiked up into the Matmor Hills to find the right horizon, I spent … Continue reading →

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Returning to the Big Makhtesh

mwilson September 2, 2009 12:38 pm

MAKHTESH GADOL, ISRAEL–During the afternoon Yoav and I drove to the center of this magnificent erosional crater to visit familiar sites and do some preliminary surveys. It was deliciously hot and dry — just the way I like it. I … Continue reading →

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Remains of a Jurassic Tropical Forest

mwilson September 2, 2009 12:33 pm

MAKHTESH RAMON, ISRAEL–As part of a mine reclamation project in the Makhtesh Ramon National Park near Mitzpe Ramon, the ranger noticed large pieces of fossilized wood coming from the tailings of a bauxite mine which were being trucked to fill … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in Israel (Again)

mwilson September 1, 2009 10:27 am

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–I’m sitting here with a view of one of my favorite places: the little town of Mitzpe Ramon near the center of the Negev Desert in southern Israel. It is poised on the edge of Makhtesh Ramon, a … Continue reading →

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Wooster paleontologist at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

mwilson August 10, 2009 4:22 pm

DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA, CANADA–The last activity for our IPREP group this summer was a guided visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. David Lloyd, a paleontological technician at the museum, gave us a fantastic “behind the scenes” tour of the … Continue reading →

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Saying goodbye to the Canadian Rockies — for now

mwilson August 10, 2009 1:28 pm

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA–The IPREP team left the Canadian Rockies yesterday morning with many educational and research ideas, new friends, and thousands of photographs to be shared with students and colleagues. It was an extraordinary experience. We thank Matthew James of … Continue reading →

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Wooster geologist at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada

mwilson August 10, 2009 11:37 am

LAKE LOUISE, ALBERTA–On our free day the IPREP study group (this apparently means “International Paleontological Research Exchange Program”) drove to the spectacular Lake Louise in Banff National Park for a hike up the valley to the “Plain of Six Glaciers”. … Continue reading →

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