Tag Archives: fossils

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An almost planispiral gastropod from the Middle Jurassic of southern Israel

  Add this to the list of fossils that have confused me. This summer, during a Wooster expedition, Lizzie Reinthal and Steph Bosch collected the above specimen from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of southern Israel. I simply assumed … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An irregular echinoid from the Middle Jurassic of southern Israel

From the view above, this fossil from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of southern Israel looks like your standard echinoid (a group that contains sea urchins and sand dollars), but turn it on its side (see below) and you … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An infected crinoid from the Middle Jurassic of southern Israel

This weathered beauty is a stem fragment of the articulate crinoid Apiocrinites negevensis from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of the Negev, southern Israel. The regular divisions you see making up the stem are the columnals, which look a … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Dinosaur teeth from the Cretaceous of Morocco

The fossil above is the best of a collection of dinosaur teeth given to us by the generous George Chambers (’79). The species that held it is the gargantuan theropod predator Spinosaurus aegyptiacus Stromer, 1915. The teeth are from Cenomanian … Continue reading

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Dinosaur footprints of unknown provenance

These are the only fossils in the Wooster collection I feel some shame about. They are tridactyl theropod dinosaur footprints. They are not spectacular, but they do the job for classes and visits by schoolchildren. I regret that we have … Continue reading

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Wooster Geologists in Jerusalem

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–This is the beautiful 400-year-old Turkish wall surrounding Jerusalem. It and virtually all the buildings in Jerusalem is made of “Jerusalem Stone” (a set of Cretaceous micritic limestones, to be pedantic). When the sun rises or sets on … Continue reading

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Return to the Ora Formation

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–The last location Wooster Geologists in Israel visited today was on the southern edge of the Makhtesh Ramon structure (N 30.58209°, E 34.89375°). Here are excellent exposures of the Ora Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Turonian). This curious feature was … Continue reading

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Adventures in the Triassic: Exploring the Gevanim Valley in Makhtesh Ramon, southern Israel

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–The second visit of the day for Wooster’s Team Israel 2013 was to the Gevanim Valley on the south side of the Makhtesh Ramon structure. This is a fascinating place where Cretaceous intrusions formed an uplifted dome exposing … Continue reading

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A day of geological exploration in the Negev: the En Yorqeam Formation (Upper Cretaceous) at Makhtesh Ramon

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–Our final stop on our geological tour today was close to our temporary home: on the northern rim of Makhtesh Ramon (N 30.62831°, E 34.81759). Exposed here is the En Yorqeam Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Cenomanian), seen above as … Continue reading

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A day of geological exploration in the Negev: Matred Formation fossils and bonus petroglyphs

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–Our third stop in our geological journey today was 19 km north of Mitzpe Ramon (N 30.76084°, E 34.72020°) at another outcrop of the Matred Formation (Middle Eocene). We again had silicification, but no corals this time, The … Continue reading

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