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.

Lauren Vargo (’13) starts off the Wooster Geologists in the 2013 Senior Research Symposium at The College of Wooster

mwilson April 26, 2013 10:39 am

WOOSTER, OHIO–The College of Wooster has an annual celebration of Independent Study after all the theses are done and (most) of the oral examinations. It is much fun as our students present their research to the community, which often includes … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A pentamerid brachiopod from the Lower Silurian of New York

mwilson April 21, 2013 1:19 am

Another brachiopod this week. This simple fossil is an internal mold of the brachiopod Pentamerus oblongus (J. de C. Sowerby, 1839). It was a very common and widespread taxon throughout North America and Europe in the Early Silurian. This particular … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A terebratulid brachiopod from the Middle Triassic of southern Israel

mwilson April 14, 2013 1:19 am

Sure, I could have picked a pristine shell from our collection, but I like the rugged character of this one. It is the terebratulid brachiopod Coenothyris oweni Feldman, 2002, from the lower Saharonim Formation (Middle Triassic) of Har Devanim, southern … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A camerate crinoid from the Lower Carboniferous of north-central Ohio

mwilson April 7, 2013 1:57 am

Visitors often bring rocks and fossils to the Geology Department for identification. We love to solve the puzzles (or at least make the attempt), and our new friends appreciate names and ages for their treasures. (Usually. We’ve disappointed more than … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A pretty little fish from the Eocene of Wyoming

mwilson March 31, 2013 1:10 am

Most people have seen this fossil fish type. Geologists, in fact, have probably seen Knightia eocaena Jordan, 1907, thousands of times. It is present in nearly every gift shop that sells fossils, usually as small plaques or glued to refrigerator … Continue reading →

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The field trip scout

mwilson March 30, 2013 7:23 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–One of the early spring pleasures of a geologist in the Upper Midwest is finally getting outside and scouting the field trips for the semester. Today we had bright sun and temperatures in the 50s (I know — I’m … Continue reading →

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Dr. Michael Mann visits Wooster

mwilson March 28, 2013 8:01 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–We were honored this week when Dr. Michael E. Mann, one of the world’s foremost climate-change experts and a leader in the efforts to educate the public about anthropogenic effects on the atmosphere, came to Wooster as part of … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A grazed oyster from the Middle Jurassic of Gloucestershire, England

mwilson March 24, 2013 1:46 am

This small oyster is not in itself unusual. In fact, it is one of the most common fossils in the Jurassic of western Europe: Praeexogyra acuminata (Sowerby, 1816). It may be better known by its older name: Ostrea acuminata. Local … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

mwilson March 20, 2013 11:34 pm

BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA–While visiting my friends and colleagues Katherine and Pedro Marenco at Bryn Mawr College, I visited the nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park. Everyone will remember, of course that this is the place outside Philadelphia that the Continental … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: Cast of a lower jawbone of the largest ape ever (Pleistocene, southern China)

mwilson March 17, 2013 1:42 am

The above is one of my favorite “fossils”, a commercially-available cast of the lower jawbone of Gigantopithecus blacki, a giant extinct ape. It was produced from an actual Pleistocene fossil found in a cave near Liucheng, Guangxi, in southern China. … Continue reading →

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