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.

Bored marbles, slate mines, and a castle in North Wales

Mark Wilson June 12, 2018 6:12 am

Aberystwyth, Wales — Let’s start with the castle as my tour of Wales with Tim and Caroline Palmer continues. Above is the storied Harlech Castle in North Wales. It was built of sandstone blocks by Edward I in the 13th … Continue reading →

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A narrow-gauge train trip in Mid Wales

Mark Wilson June 11, 2018 6:11 am

Aberystwyth, Wales — Caroline Palmer provided Tim and me a wonderful experience in a scenic Welsh valley on a perfect Welsh day. She is Trustee of the nearby Hafod Estate ( … one of the finest examples in Europe of a … Continue reading →

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A Wooster Geologist in Wales (continued)

Mark Wilson June 10, 2018 6:10 am

Aberystwyth, Wales — After the successful Larwood Meeting in Cardiff, I took a train to Carmarthen and met my friends Tim and Caroline Palmer for a delightful few days in Wales seeing building stones and geological sites. I’ve known Tim … Continue reading →

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A Smith Map in Wales

Mark Wilson June 9, 2018 6:09 am

Cardiff, Wales — Today Caroline Buttler and I met in the National Museum Wales and worked on an Ordovician bryozoan project together. There was nothing very picturesque going on until Caroline asked if I wanted to see their original William … Continue reading →

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Last day of the Larwood meeting: Museum collections and a coal mine tour

Mark Wilson June 8, 2018 6:08 am

Cardiff, Wales — On our last day of the Larwood Meeting, we finished up business in the morning and then had guided tours of the marine, mollusc, and fossil collections in the National Museum Wales (above). Highlights for me included … Continue reading →

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Bryozoologists on the rocks in South Wales

Mark Wilson June 7, 2018 6:07 am

Cardiff, Wales — There is a tradition at bryozoology meetings that we get out into the field as a group. Caroline Buttler (our organizer) and Lesley Cherns (Cardiff University) took us during the afternoon to two sites. The first (shown … Continue reading →

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Bryozoologists gather in Wales

Mark Wilson June 6, 2018 6:06 am

Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom — A dedicated group of bryozoan experts have gathered this week in Cardiff for the 15th Larwood Meeting. It is a diverse group of biologists and paleontologists, and I am proud to be among them. We … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists in Southwestern Utah (May 2018)

Mark Wilson May 25, 2018 5:25 am

This month, our geological technician Nick Wiesenberg and I had the privilege of taking two Wooster Independent Study students into southwestern Utah to do research on the Carmel Formation (Middle Jurassic). The students were Ethan Killian (’19) on the left … Continue reading →

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Science and culture on Team Jurassic Utah’s last day

Mark Wilson May 24, 2018 5:24 am

Santa Clara, Utah — We spent our last full day in this beautiful state enjoying nature, visiting local historical sites, and ending with a fantastic museum. This morning began with a short journey through Snow Canyon State Park, which is … Continue reading →

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An oyster ball nursery and Veyo pies on our last field day in southwestern Utah

Mark Wilson May 23, 2018 5:23 am

Santa Clara, Utah — When you want to sort out how something grows but can’t actually watch it do it, you look for examples of individuals in various developmental states. You can learn a lot about human growth, for example, … Continue reading →

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