Tag Archives: fossils

Returning to the Big Makhtesh

mwilson September 2, 2009 12:38 pm

MAKHTESH GADOL, ISRAEL–During the afternoon Yoav and I drove to the center of this magnificent erosional crater to visit familiar sites and do some preliminary surveys. It was deliciously hot and dry — just the way I like it. I … Continue reading →

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Remains of a Jurassic Tropical Forest

mwilson September 2, 2009 12:33 pm

MAKHTESH RAMON, ISRAEL–As part of a mine reclamation project in the Makhtesh Ramon National Park near Mitzpe Ramon, the ranger noticed large pieces of fossilized wood coming from the tailings of a bauxite mine which were being trucked to fill … Continue reading →

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Wooster paleontologist at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

mwilson August 10, 2009 4:22 pm

DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA, CANADA–The last activity for our IPREP group this summer was a guided visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. David Lloyd, a paleontological technician at the museum, gave us a fantastic “behind the scenes” tour of the … Continue reading →

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Wooster geologist at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada

mwilson August 10, 2009 11:37 am

LAKE LOUISE, ALBERTA–On our free day the IPREP study group (this apparently means “International Paleontological Research Exchange Program”) drove to the spectacular Lake Louise in Banff National Park for a hike up the valley to the “Plain of Six Glaciers”. … Continue reading →

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Middle Cambrian stromatolites high in the Canadian Rockies

mwilson August 9, 2009 11:23 pm

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–Our study group was fortunate to meet Whitey Hagadorn (Amherst College and Denver Museum of Natural History) and Sally Walker (University of Georgia) for a hike to an exposure of stromatolites in the Pika Formation (Middle Cambrian) … Continue reading →

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Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds (Middle Cambrian)

mwilson August 8, 2009 9:37 am

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–After a very steep and long climb, our little field party visited another restricted quarry of famous Middle Cambrian fossils: the Mt. Stephens Trilobite Beds. Charles Walcott also collected from this site when he was working on … Continue reading →

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The wondrous Burgess Shale

mwilson August 7, 2009 9:57 am

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–I stepped on Paleontological Holy Ground when I visited the Burgess Shale earlier this week. It is often cited as the most important fossil locality ever. I felt the historical as well as the scientific vibrations in … Continue reading →

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The Walcott Quarry of the Burgess Shale on a beautiful day

mwilson August 6, 2009 9:48 am

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–We have a small group of seven people for this expedition organized by Matthew James of Sonoma State University in California. Everyone is from California except me (although I was invited through my California roots). Our guide … Continue reading →

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Wooster geologist at the Burgess Shale

mwilson August 6, 2009 12:36 am

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–I’ve been waiting to write those words! More later when I get better wireless access. The summary: my colleagues and I successfully made the long hike to the Walcott Quarry of the famous Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale … Continue reading →

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Operation Fossil Find (Top Secret and Classified)

sjudge July 27, 2009 10:04 am

Gunnison Plateau, Utah. July 26. Phil and Bill both left Utah a few days ago, with Phil flying to visit family in Colorado and Bill continuing his WooCorps job. So, I have a few days to myself to do some … Continue reading →

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