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.

A Geological Field House

Mark Wilson June 5, 2009 1:59 am

NEAR KHAMONTOVO, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA–It is not your typical Russian dacha, this field house.  It was purchased partially-finished by Andrey because it is ideally located (N60.01114°, E32.56416°) very near important Paleozoic outcrops.  The setting is beautiful — on the top … Continue reading →

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Sleeper Train West

Mark Wilson June 5, 2009 1:55 am

Andrey and I boarded a west-bound train in Moscow at 6:25 in the evening. It is a nine-hour ride to Volkhov, so the cars are equipped as sleepers. This meant that we shared an open compartment with two other people, … Continue reading →

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Touring Moscow

Mark Wilson June 4, 2009 1:52 am

MOSCOW, RUSSIA–As I write this entry and the following few, I’m deep in the Russian woods in a small “field house” with no internet connections.  I will post this entry and the others when I get the chance and back-date … Continue reading →

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The Miracle of Wireless

Mark Wilson June 4, 2009 12:40 am

Somehow I stumbled upon a wireless connection in my Moscow hotel room this morning. I shall post quickly before it vanishes. It disappears now and then, but I’ve thus far been able to retrieve it. First, a couple of images … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in Russia

Mark Wilson June 3, 2009 11:51 am

My first day in Russia.  I’m in Moscow hotel lobby with only this cranky connection to the Internet, but I’m here.  Tomorrow I leave with my colleague Andrei Dronov for work in the St. Petersburg region on the Lower Ordovician. … Continue reading →

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Urban Dinosaurs

Mark Wilson May 27, 2009 8:24 am

My last geological fieldwork (if we can call it that) in Israel on this trip was to examine the Upper Cretaceous limestones and dolomites exposed in Jerusalem. I far prefer my rocks be found in pristine wilderness areas with only … Continue reading →

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The Drawbacks of Working in the Golan Heights

Mark Wilson May 26, 2009 2:38 pm

Today we could visit only one Jurassic site in the Golan. The others were in a militarily sensitive area to which we were not admitted, even after a long conversation with the commanding officer and classic geological special pleading. (“But … Continue reading →

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Fieldwork in the Golan Heights

Mark Wilson May 25, 2009 3:01 pm

I finally got out into the field today. My Israeli colleagues and I left Jerusalem early in the morning and arrived about noon in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the slopes of Mount Hermon. It is a lovely … Continue reading →

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Geological Survey of Israel Headquarters

Mark Wilson May 24, 2009 9:57 am

The campus of the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI) may not look like much from the outside, but it is a world class scientific institution. It has about 100 employees, most of whom are Earth scientists. The buildings and grounds … Continue reading →

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Walls in Jerusalem

Mark Wilson May 23, 2009 2:25 pm

Our faculty colleagues on the Hales Fund trip to China have posted on their blog a wonderful photographic blog essay of their encounter with the Great Wall of China. It gives me an excuse to show some cool walls I’ve … Continue reading →

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