Tag Archives: Estonia

A little something for igneous petrologists

Mark Wilson June 29, 2011 8:44 am

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–Hard-rock geologists sometimes complain that I flood this blog with too many sedimentary rocks and fossils (and just wait until I get to the Estonian wildflowers!). There are actually quite a few igneous and metamorphic rocks on Estonia — … Continue reading →

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Saaremaa Silurian stromatolites studied

Mark Wilson June 29, 2011 8:22 am

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–Our fieldwork today at the Soeginina Cliff locality ended with an examination of a sequence of stromatolites near the top of the exposed Ludlow section. Stromatolites are layers of sediment accumulated by photosynthetic cyanobacteria. They are the earliest fossils … Continue reading →

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Thriving in the shingle: the story of Sea Kale

Mark Wilson June 29, 2011 7:15 am

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–A very common perennial plant at the foot of the cliffs we are studying in Estonia is Sea Kale (Crambe maritima Linnaeus). It is beautiful with large, thick leaves and central stalks with bursts of white flowers, each with … Continue reading →

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Independent Study fieldwork begins in Estonia … with a little unexpected canine companionship

Mark Wilson June 28, 2011 2:05 pm

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–Nick Fedorchuk began his fieldwork today at the Soeginina Cliff site we visited two days ago. The first thing we did was scout out the best place to measure the most complete section possible, and then we started the … Continue reading →

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An intricate Silurian stromatoporoid reef on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia

Mark Wilson June 27, 2011 1:39 pm

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–Stromatoporoids are extinct calcareous sponges that were very common in shallow water environments of the Silurian. They are especially abundant in the middle Silurian of the Baltic Region. Today we visited a site called Katri Cliff where a reef … Continue reading →

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A new Senior Independent Study project begins in Estonia

Mark Wilson June 26, 2011 2:16 pm

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–It is always a joy to begin the fieldwork for an Independent Study project — or at least know what the fieldwork will be. This morning we visited the Soeginina Cliff locality on the Atla Peninsula of western Saaremaa … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists return to Estonia

Mark Wilson June 25, 2011 2:40 pm

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA–Yesterday afternoon three Wooster geologists met in the Tallinn, Estonia, airport within an hour after flying from three different countries. (Thank you, travel agent Suzanne Easterling!) We rented a car and then drove through impressive rainstorms westwards to the … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Hyoliths (Middle Ordovician of Estonia)

Mark Wilson May 1, 2011 1:30 am

The fossils above are about as simple as fossils can be. They are internal molds (sediment-fills) of conical shells that were made of the carbonate mineral aragonite.  The aragonite shells dissolved away after death and burial, leaving the cemented sediment … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A cystoid (Middle Ordovician of northeastern Estonia)

Mark Wilson January 16, 2011 1:26 am

Fossils don’t get much more spherical than Echinosphaerites aurantium, an extinct creature common in the Early and Middle Ordovician of North America and Europe. These are cystoids, a somewhat informal category of filter-feeding, stalked echinoderms that are relatives of the … Continue reading →

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Paleoenvironmental analysis of the Silurian Jaani Formation on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia (Senior Independent Study Thesis by Rob McConnell)

Mark Wilson February 18, 2010 4:35 pm

Editor’s note: Senior Independent Study (I.S.) is a year-long program at The College of Wooster in which each student completes a research project and thesis with a faculty mentor.  We particularly enjoy I.S. in the Geology Department because there are … Continue reading →

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