Tag Archives: history

A cultural day in southern Sicily

Mark Wilson June 6, 2013 11:01 pm

SCIACCA, SICILY, ITALY–Most major conference geological field trips have a portion devoted to the culture and history of the region being explored. You can imagine the delights of this nature possible on a Mediterranean island. Today we started with the … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Mark Wilson March 20, 2013 11:34 pm

BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA–While visiting my friends and colleagues Katherine and Pedro Marenco at Bryn Mawr College, I visited the nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park. Everyone will remember, of course that this is the place outside Philadelphia that the Continental … Continue reading →

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The Grianán of Aileach

Mark Wilson December 20, 2012 3:46 pm

DONEGAL, IRELAND — In the northeastern part of the county, about 7 km west of Derry in Northern Ireland, is Greenan Mountain. On its very top is a spectacular ringfort called The Grianán of Aileach (“the Solarium of Aileach”, shown … Continue reading →

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The wild northwest of Ireland

Mark Wilson December 19, 2012 1:28 pm

DONEGAL, IRELAND — Above is an image of Donegal Bay at sunset. It is striking with its still water, wheeling gulls and glacially-rounded rocky islands. I am in County Donegal for a couple of days simply to see the place … Continue reading →

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Three Amigos in Dublin

Mark Wilson December 18, 2012 6:04 pm

DUBLIN, IRELAND — I have paleontological legends on either side of me, and the best of friends. Paul Taylor is on the left. He and I met in 1985 when I visited The Natural History Museum in London while on … Continue reading →

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Geological fieldwork on the streets of Dublin

Mark Wilson December 16, 2012 6:25 pm

DUBLIN, IRELAND — What could be more Irish than a rainbow over Dublin? (I know better than to write of leprechauns and pots of gold.)  It certainly crowned the end of a delightful afternoon spent with my friend Tim Palmer … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in Ireland

Mark Wilson December 15, 2012 7:28 am

DUBLIN, IRELAND — In a very quick transition from grading final exams in Wooster yesterday morning, I find myself now in downtown Dublin. I flew in last night to attend the 56th Annual Meeting of the Paleontological Association. I’ve been … Continue reading →

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The last holdouts of pagan Europe

Mark Wilson July 14, 2012 3:42 pm

KÄINA, ESTONIA–The little island of Muhu between Saaremaa and the Estonian mainland, had a large prehistoric population — much larger than it has today. The Muhu Estonians built a large fort of stone heaps near the western coast opposite Saaremaa … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Estonian island of Hiiumaa

Mark Wilson July 12, 2012 1:43 pm

KÄINA, ESTONIA–The Wooster/OSU geology team took a break today from our usual field routine. We spent the morning consolidating notes and specimens (yes, that means the students slept very late) and then the afternoon seeing some of the major Hiiumaa … Continue reading →

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Nabataean water management in the northern Negev (circa 2nd Century BCE)

Mark Wilson March 18, 2012 2:47 pm

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–We had an earlier post about water management techniques by Iron Age peoples in the northern Negev. Today during our last period of fieldwork on this trip we ran into a complex Nabataean system in a valley a … Continue reading →

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