Tag Archives: fossils

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A fracture-shaped bioerosion trace from the Pliocene of Cyprus

This past semester I worked with three colleagues on a massive trace fossil review paper, which we hope meets success in the next month or so. My primary job on the team was to sort out bioerosion traces, especially those … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Team Dorset makes a cryptic discovery

Sherborne, England — It was a good day for Team Dorset. Cassidy Jester (’17) is shown above in Coombe Quarry near Mapperton, Dorset. She is standing on an erosion surface between the Comptocostosum Bed (Aalenian) below and Horn Park Ironshot … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Snuffboxes! Team Dorset has a project

Sherborne, England — Cassidy Jester (’17) now has a Senior Independent Study project: Origin and paleoecology of ferruginous oncoids (“snuffboxes”) from the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) of southern England and northern France. (We’re not going to France; I have specimens I … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Team Dorset closes in on a project

Sherborne, England — Another gorgeous day of exploring in the Middle Jurassic of southern England. The weather and the companions could not be better. Today was our last day of reconnaissance and tomorrow Cassidy Jester (’17) begins her Independent Study … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Jurassic cephalopod heaven in southwestern England

Sherborne, England — Cassidy Jester (’17) and I are now at our main base in a bed and breakfast in northern Dorset. Our lodgings are a converted milking house on an estate with a beautiful view of the surrounding rolling … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: A bored Ordovician hardground from Ohio, and an introduction to a new paper on trace fossils and evolution

Above is an image of a carbonate hardground (cemented seafloor) from the Upper Ordovician of Adams County, Ohio. It comes from the Bull Fork Formation and was recovered along State Route 136 north of Manchester, Ohio (Locality C/W-20). It is … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Echinoderm holdfasts from the Upper Cambrian of Montana

The white buttons above are echinoderm holdfasts from the Snowy Range Formation (Upper Cambrian) of Carbon County, southern Montana. They and their hardground substrate were well described back in the day by Brett et al. (1983). We have these specimens … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A phyllocarid crustacean from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada

We are fortunate at Wooster to have a few fossils from the Burgess Shale (Middle Cambrian) collected near Burgess Pass, British Columbia, Canada, including this delicate phyllocarid Canadaspis perfecta (Walcott, 1912). This species is one of the oldest crustaceans, a … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Wooster Geologist Visits Spangler Park

Editor’s note: The following entry was written by Chloe Wallace (’17), a student in this year’s Sedimentology & Stratigraphy course. One of our writing assignments was to write a blog post about our recent field trip to Spangler Park (also … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A craniid brachiopod from the Upper Cretaceous of The Netherlands

These striking little brachiopods are gifts from Clive Champion, a generous Englishman with whom I occasionally exchange packets of fossils. In January I received a surprise box with lots of delicious little brachs, including the two shown above. I remember … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment