Category Archives: Uncategorized

Wildfires in Montana

acrawford September 11, 2017 2:42 pm

Windy, warm, and dry is a good recipe for wildfires, and that has been the norm for Montana this year.  For example, from June 1 through September 4, Missoula received 2.07 inches of precipitation, less than half its average rainfall … Continue reading →

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The annual Wooster Paleontology field trip to the Upper Ordovician (Fall 2017 version)

Mark Wilson September 10, 2017 1:08 pm

It’s not that I haven’t loved all my Invertebrate Paleontology classes, but the students this year are special because there are only ten of them. Lately I’ve had up to thirty students per class which is great for many reasons, … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A rudist clam from the Upper Cretaceous of southwestern France

Mark Wilson September 8, 2017 12:01 am

When we picked up this beautiful fossil in southwestern France this summer, Paul Taylor immediately predicted it would become a Wooster Fossil of the Week. Macy Conrad (’18), Paul and I were on our wonderful expedition in the Type Campanian … Continue reading →

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Unknown fossils for the Invertebrate Paleontology class at Wooster

Mark Wilson September 1, 2017 12:01 am

I start my Invertebrate Paleontology classes with an unknown fossil given to each student. I pick something I have enough examples of so that everyone gets the same species. As their first assignment, the students are asked to identify their … Continue reading →

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Jesse Davenport (’11) Returns to GeoClub

mpollock August 31, 2017 3:00 pm

Wooster, OH – GeoClub met for the first time in the 2017-2018 academic year, allowing us to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. It was our good fortune to host a special guest, Jesse Davenport, a 2011 … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geology Department 2017 Annual Report

Mark Wilson August 28, 2017 9:01 pm

The Thirty-First Annual Report of the Geology Department is now available online with this link. Our Administrative Coordinator Patrice Reeder has once again done a magnificent job putting this document together, with amazing attention to detail and an artistic eye … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Oysters from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) of southwestern France

Mark Wilson August 22, 2017 12:01 am

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week returns from its summer hiatus. It is appropriate, then, to feature as our first fossil of the new season an oyster species prominent in our summer research. This is Pycnodonte vesicularis (Lamarck, 1806), a very … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geology Professor Frederick W. Cropp III (1932-2017)

Mark Wilson August 11, 2017 8:40 pm

Professor Fred Cropp taught geology at Wooster from 1964 to 1997. He was an extraordinary teacher and, in his own words, “a cheerleader for geology”. Many, many Wooster students became geologists in response to his enthusiasm, energy and spirit. I … Continue reading →

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The Cooper Plots – Ecological Succession in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska

gwiles August 9, 2017 11:28 am

I recently had the pleasure to work with a team of ecologists for eight days in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The point of the trip was to reoccupy and expand investigations of the Cooper Plots established over 100 … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in Idaho: Adventures in granite

Mark Wilson July 26, 2017 9:44 am

Gloria and I traveled out west this summer to see family and a bit of scenery. Of course, geologists are always looking for geological attractions, and we found a delightful one at City of Rocks National Reserve in southern Idaho. … Continue reading →

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