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.

An evening dinner in Guiyang, China

mwilson July 4, 2014 9:19 am

GUIYANG, CHINA — After the long flights from Shenyang via Nanjing, Team China (let’s just call it that!) arrived in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province. We had an excellent view of the surrounding karstic mountains. I hope to have … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A barnacle and sponge symbiosis from the Middle Jurassic of Israel

mwilson July 4, 2014 1:19 am

[Programing note: Wooster’s Fossil of the Week is now being released on Fridays to correspond with the popular Fossil Friday on Twitter and other platforms.] This week’s fossil is again from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of southern Israel. … Continue reading →

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Shenyang, China

mwilson July 3, 2014 6:23 pm

SHENYANG, CHINA — My first post from astonishing China. I’ve been here about a day and a half now and am simply floored by all I’ve seen and experienced. I’ve seen a fair bit of the world, but no place … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist en route to China

mwilson July 1, 2014 8:59 am

DETROIT AIRPORT, MICHIGAN — My long anticipated trip to China has started. I have a bit of a wait in Detroit before boarding a 14-hour flight to Beijing, followed by a connection on to Shenyang. I am visiting China by … Continue reading →

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Last day of work at the Natural History Museum, and some special visitors

mwilson June 25, 2014 4:14 pm

LONDON, ENGLAND — I know it is an acquired taste, and way too esoteric, but I think the above scanning electron micrograph is beautiful. This is an undescribed species of the cyclostome bryozoan Corynotrypa from the Upper Ordovician Bromide Formation … Continue reading →

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Scanning at the Natural History Museum

mwilson June 24, 2014 4:56 pm

LONDON, ENGLAND — I know of no one better at the art of Scanning Electron Microscopy than Paul Taylor of the Department of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum in London. He is a master at producing superb images, … Continue reading →

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A day’s work in the Natural History Museum, London

mwilson June 23, 2014 3:32 pm

LONDON, ENGLAND — This is one of my favorite places in the world. It is a Victorian cathedral of science: The Natural History Museum in London. Today I began three intense days of research with Paul Taylor in his paleontology … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in London at the British Museum

mwilson June 22, 2014 1:42 pm

LONDON, ENGLAND — I arrived late last night in London after a series of delays in my departure from Poland, so I was pleased that today was a Sunday so I could chill a bit before work with Paul Taylor … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A silicified rhynchonellid brachiopod from the Permian of West Texas

mwilson June 22, 2014 1:01 am

Sometimes fossils can be more useful when broken than whole. Above is a much-abused rhynchonellid brachiopod from the Road Canyon Formation (Middle Permian, Roadian, about 270 million years old) found in the Glass Mountains of southwestern Texas. It is part … Continue reading →

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A Nazi hiding hole in Middle Triassic rocks (Będzin, Poland)

mwilson June 20, 2014 4:27 pm

SOSNOWIEC, POLAND — On my last full day in Poland, Michał Zatoń and his family took me on a tour of the city they live in and where my hotel is located: Będzin. The history of this place is very long, … Continue reading →

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