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.

Wooster Geologist in Virginia

mwilson October 17, 2010 9:24 pm

MANASSAS, VIRGINIA–We’ve had several posts in this blog on the geology of battlefields (Leningrad, the Meuse-Argonne, Vicksburg, Bear River, Brice’s Crossroads). These places are almost always beautiful: peaceful green fields, quiet forests and grass-covered hills which belie the tragedies they … Continue reading →

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Wooster celebrates National Fossil Day

mwilson October 13, 2010 8:28 am

WOOSTER, OHIO–Today we are celebrating the first annual National Fossil Day (or at least I am!). Be sure to check out that link from the National Park Service — it contains the official National Fossil Day song! My recognition of … Continue reading →

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The value of amateur paleontology

mwilson October 10, 2010 1:27 pm

SULLIVAN, OHIO–Last month I gave a talk to the North Coast Fossil Club about an obscure fossil group, the hederelloids. My purpose, besides simply enjoying the good company of fossil enthusiasts, was to show the audience a type of small … Continue reading →

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“A Creative Adventure”: Wooster Geologist Featured in a Higher Education Article

mwilson October 5, 2010 7:47 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–“When College of Wooster Assistant Professor Meagen Pollock stands in front of one of her geology courses, she’s thinking beyond what her students need to accomplish during that class period, or even during that semester. Pollock is constantly thinking … Continue reading →

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Visiting a subduction zone in New Zealand

mwilson September 29, 2010 2:12 pm

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND–Wooster geology student Andrew Collins has once again visited a fascinating geological locality in New Zealand. He is certainly getting his semester’s worth of adventures, from earthquakes to glaciers. Please visit his blog and see additional photos and … Continue reading →

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New polychaete tubeworm fauna from the Jurassic of Israel

mwilson September 21, 2010 9:20 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–That may not be the most exciting title I could choose, but it was a fun project nonetheless. My Estonian colleague Olev Vinn and I have a paper in the latest issue of  Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie … Continue reading →

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A visit to glacier country in New Zealand

mwilson September 20, 2010 6:30 am

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND–Our Wooster Geologist in New Zealand, junior geology major Andrew Collins, is on an enforced break from his studies at the University of Canterbury. (The earthquake damage and the continuing aftershocks have given Andrew a new perspective on … Continue reading →

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Wooster Paleontologists in Indiana!

mwilson September 12, 2010 7:46 pm

RICHMOND and LIBERTY, INDIANA–The College of Wooster Invertebrate Paleontology class had its field trip today to sunny eastern Indiana. We collected bags and bags of fossils from Upper Ordovician strata for research projects throughout the rest of the course. Each … Continue reading →

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Hederelloids: Pulled from obscurity! (Well, maybe …)

mwilson September 11, 2010 4:23 pm

PARMA, OHIO–This afternoon I gave a talk at a meeting of the North Coast Fossil Club in this suburb of Cleveland. I chose the poorly-known fossil group called hederelloids as my topic because I knew that many people in that … Continue reading →

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The New Zealand Earthquake: A Wooster Geologist Eyewitness Report

mwilson September 4, 2010 9:27 pm

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND–Andrew Collins is a Wooster geology student studying abroad at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Here is his account of Saturday morning’s earthquake: Just got another tremor as I sat here writing! Certainly is active! … Continue reading →

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