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.

The second group of Wooster GSA 2012 posters

Mark Wilson November 5, 2012 6:13 pm

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA–Matt Peppers (’13), a member of the intrepid Team Utah, presented his poster today at the 2012 Geological Society of America annual meeting. Matt is working on the dynamics of the volcanic flows in the Black Rock Desert. … Continue reading →

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“Where Our Deepest Passions Intersect the World’s Compelling Needs”: The 2012 GSA Presidential Address

Mark Wilson November 4, 2012 3:46 pm

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA–President of the Geological Society of America George H. Davis delivered a spectacular and inspiring address early this afternoon. As his title says, he emphasized the joys and privileges of being geologists along with the civic and scientific … Continue reading →

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The first Wooster Geology student posters at GSA 2012

Mark Wilson November 4, 2012 3:27 pm

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA–The brave souls Jonah Novek (’13) above and Kit Price (’13) below were the first Wooster students to present their posters at the 2012 Geological Society of America meeting. Jonah worked in Estonia this past summer on Early … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists at the GSA President’s Student Breakfast

Mark Wilson November 4, 2012 3:13 pm

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA–The Geological Society of America has a tradition of hosting a free breakfast for those students willing to come to the convention center at 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. The meal is hosted by the GSA President … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: Birch wood with beetle borings (Oligocene of Oregon)

Mark Wilson November 4, 2012 1:31 am

We may be at the Geological Society of America annual meeting today, but that doesn’t stop Fossil of the Week! This week’s fossil is a beautifully-detailed piece of petrified birch wood (Betula) with tree rings and insect borings throughout. It … Continue reading →

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First GSA Event: The Paleontological Society Short Course — “Reconstructing Earth’s Deep-Time Climate”

Mark Wilson November 3, 2012 5:21 pm

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA–This iPhone snapshot of a dark lecture room may record the time and place, but it hardly does justice to the event, so let’s see an image of the colorful special volume printed for this year’s Paleontological Society … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Bivalve Borings (Upper Miocene of Spain)

Mark Wilson October 28, 2012 1:50 am

This beautiful object has a complex history. In the center is a gray limestone cobble that eroded from an underwater ridge and rolled free on a shallow coral reef in an area now near Abanilla, southeastern Spain. It was encrusted … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Silicified sclerobionts (Middle Permian of southwestern Texas)

Mark Wilson October 21, 2012 1:57 am

During my work at the National Museum of Natural History last week, I had my research desk amongst the many cabinets housing the famous Permian brachiopod collection made by the eminent paleontologist Richard E. Grant (1927–1995). Most of these specimens … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists at the Smithsonian

Mark Wilson October 15, 2012 7:03 pm

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It is Fall Break at the College of Wooster, so some of the geologists have taken the opportunity to get out of town. Dr. Meagen Pollock is under the bright blue skies of the gorgeous state of … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A spiriferid brachiopod (Middle Devonian of northwestern Ohio)

Mark Wilson October 14, 2012 1:39 am

I begin my Invertebrate Paleontology course by giving each student a common fossil to identify “by any means necessary”. This year I gave everyone a gray little brachiopod, one of which is shown above. They did pretty well. Kevin Silver … Continue reading →

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