Tag Archives: fossils

Wooster Geologists in southern Israel for Spring Break fieldwork

Mark Wilson March 11, 2012 3:52 pm

It’s a low-light, iPad photo, but at least it shows Wooster geology junior Melissa Torma enjoying a fine meal in the Hotel Ramon of Mitzpe Ramon, deep in the Negev of Israel. We arrived here this afternoon after a 22-hour … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An ichthyosaur vertebra (Middle-Late Jurassic of Wyoming)

Mark Wilson March 11, 2012 1:50 am

It’s only half a bone, but the above is one of my favorite fossils. This is a vertebra of an ichthyosaur, identifiable by its figure-8 cross-section. It is from the Sundance Formation (Middle-Late Jurassic) of Natrona County, Wyoming … and … Continue reading →

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

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: an encrusted nautiloid (Upper Ordovician of Kentucky)

Mark Wilson March 4, 2012 11:33 am

Two fossils this week in our series. The large segmented cone is a bisected nautiloid cephalopod from the Upper Ordovician of northern Kentucky. The original shell (made of the mineral aragonite) has been dissolved away, leaving the sediment that filled … Continue reading →

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

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A holey brachiopod (Lower Cretaceous of southeastern Spain)

Mark Wilson February 26, 2012 1:10 am

This striking and unusual brachiopod is Pygites diphyoides (d’Orbigny, 1847) from Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) of Cehegin, Murcia, Spain. Wooster acquired it through a recent generous exchange of brachiopods with Mr. Clive Champion in England. I had heard about this brachiopod … Continue reading →

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

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: star sand (Recent of southern Japan)

Mark Wilson February 19, 2012 1:37 am

Yes, that “Recent” in the title was a clue that these are not actually fossils, but the little beauties fit the spirit of our series. This is sand from an unknown island beach in southern Japan. The spotted star-shaped grains … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An asteroid trace fossil from the Devonian of northeastern Ohio

Mark Wilson February 12, 2012 1:31 am

It is pretty obvious what made this excellent trace fossil: an asteroid echinoderm. (The term “asteroid” sounds odd here, but it is the technical term for a typical sea star.) The above is Asteriacites stelliformis Osgood, 1970, from the Chagrin … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A mysterious sponge (Late Ordovician of Ohio)

Mark Wilson February 5, 2012 1:48 am

I’ve been collecting and studying fossils from the Upper Ordovician of the Cincinnati region for three decades now, but I’ve never seen another specimen like the one pictured above. An amateur collector, Howard Freeland, generously donated this rock to Wooster … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A syringoporid coral (Lower Carboniferous of Arkansas)

Mark Wilson January 22, 2012 1:24 am

This specimen was collected from the Boone Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) near Hiwasse, Arkansas. It is a species of Syringopora Goldfuss 1826, sometimes known as the organ-pipe coral (but not the real organ pipe coral!). Syringoporids are tabulate corals, a group … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: Marrella splendens (Burgess Shale, Middle Cambrian, British Columbia)

Mark Wilson January 15, 2012 1:42 am

The first story about this iconic fossil is the trouble I went through to get the photograph above. Our specimen of Marrella splendens is preserved in the common Burgess Shale fashion as a thin dark film on a black piece … Continue reading →

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

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A scale tree (Late Carboniferous of Ohio)

Mark Wilson January 8, 2012 1:14 am

We haven’t had a plant fossil in this blog for awhile. Lepidodendron Sternberg 1820, pictured above, is one of the most common fossils brought to me in Wooster by amateur collectors. It is abundant in the Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) sandstones, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment