Tag Archives: Oligocene

Wooster Geologist in Idaho: Adventures in granite

Mark Wilson July 26, 2017 9:44 am

Gloria and I traveled out west this summer to see family and a bit of scenery. Of course, geologists are always looking for geological attractions, and we found a delightful one at City of Rocks National Reserve in southern Idaho. … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in New Zealand

Mark Wilson September 7, 2015 7:54 pm

Many of our students enjoy a semester or year abroad during their college time. Andrew Wayrynen ’17 is right now in New Zealand, one of the favorite destinations of Wooster geologists. He has generously shared some of his recent geological … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: An agate-replaced coral from the Oligocene-Miocene of Florida

Mark Wilson March 2, 2014 1:42 am

I long thought of this beautiful specimen as more rock than fossil. It is a scleractinian coral that has had its outer skeleton replaced by the silicate material agate and its interior skeleton completely hollowed out. The result is a … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: Birch wood with beetle borings (Oligocene of Oregon)

Mark Wilson November 4, 2012 1:31 am

We may be at the Geological Society of America annual meeting today, but that doesn’t stop Fossil of the Week! This week’s fossil is a beautifully-detailed piece of petrified birch wood (Betula) with tree rings and insect borings throughout. It … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: an oreodont (probably from the Oligocene of Nebraska)

Mark Wilson October 2, 2011 1:36 am

Oreodonts are extraordinarily common fossils in the Oligocene of North America. Just about every teaching fossil collection contains at least a couple oreodont skulls, most obtained during late Nineteenth-Century field trips to the Great Plains. Our specimen above is of … Continue reading →

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A rainy day in the Mainz Basin

Mark Wilson August 12, 2010 3:49 pm

OPPENHEIM, GERMANY–I want this termed Wilson’s Law: “The amount of mud encountered at an outcrop is inversely proportional to the quality of the fossils found.” Maybe it is my desert heritage, but I absolutely detest mud on my boots. Especially … Continue reading →

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