Author Archives: Mark Wilson

About Mark Wilson

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.

Geology Along the Fjords of Svalbard

Mark Wilson June 27, 2009 1:05 am

Today I took a day trip with about 25 other people on the small ship M.S. Polargirl in Isfjorden. The geology in view was fantastic, it didn’t rain, and the sun came out occasionally in the morning. I also got … Continue reading →

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A Bit of the Triassic in Svalbard

Mark Wilson June 27, 2009 1:00 am

NEAR DIABASODDEN, SVALBARD–Yesterday’s field trip was a brief survey of three Triassic (Anisian to Carnian) siliciclastic units, with students concentrating on the third. From bottom to top they are the Botneheia Formation (a gray to black shale with numerous bits … Continue reading →

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Any activity which involves survival suits and rifles …

Mark Wilson June 26, 2009 2:23 am

SVALBARD, NORWAY–A geological high adventure today when I joined a field trip of Norwegian faculty and international graduate students on a day trip to a Triassic section north of Longyearbyen. We met at the University of Norway research station (a … Continue reading →

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N78.20316°, E015.59476°

Mark Wilson June 25, 2009 2:17 am

LONGYEARBYEN, SVALBARD, NORWAY–The sun makes a crazy circle in the sky. Polar bear warnings. Houses on stilts. Muck for soil. (“Don’t worry. You can only sink three feet.”) Russian coal miners. International scientists. Cruise ship tourists. Stunning vistas of rock, … Continue reading →

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A Great Geological Day in Norway

Mark Wilson June 24, 2009 3:54 pm

OSLO, NORWAY–This Wooster geologist had an excellent time here in the capital city of Norway today. I met up with Hans Arne Nakrem, a Norwegian paleontologist with the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, and we looked at specimens he … Continue reading →

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The Åland Islands

Mark Wilson June 20, 2009 2:18 pm

There is an exquisite archipelago of thousands of  islands between Finland and Sweden.  I took a six-hour ferry ride this morning from Turku in southwestern Finland to Mariehamn, capital of the Åland Islands, where I am spending a day and … Continue reading →

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A Wooster Geologist in Helsinki

Mark Wilson June 18, 2009 2:25 pm

I’m between geological field trips right now. I left Russia by train through Karelia to Helsinki, Finland. It was a remarkable trip through woods and villages, with the swampy environs of St. Petersburg giving way to higher and drier ground … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Future Wooster Geology Research in Russia

Mark Wilson June 17, 2009 1:56 pm

I was very impressed by the Ordovician rocks I saw in the Leningrad Region on this past trip.  I had seen parts of the Ordovician System in Estonia nearby, but not to this extent nor this particular facies.  My model … Continue reading →

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A Wooster Geologist in St. Petersburg, Russia

Mark Wilson June 16, 2009 7:33 am

I am absolutely stunned by the beauty of this city.  The ornate architecture and building colors combined with the water and changing skies, all marinated in more historical drama than any city should bear, is overwhelming.  I can’t imagine a … Continue reading →

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Out of the Russian Woods

Mark Wilson June 16, 2009 1:51 am

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA–This Wooster geologist has emerged from the field. I’m now in beautiful St. Petersburg working at the university. I hope I can get more stable access to the Internet soon so I can post the many blogs I … Continue reading →

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