Tag Archives: Tertiary

A paleontological meeting at the Owl Creek Formation

RIPLEY, MISSISSIPPI — On our last full field day we met a team from the American Museum of Natural History (led by paleontologist Neil Landman) and converged on the famous Late Cretaceous Owl Creek Formation exposures near Ripley in northern … Continue reading

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Bryozoan Paradise at the K/T Boundary

NEW ALBANY, MISSISSIPPI — One of the main advantages of being a geologist in a liberal arts program is the diversity of experiences our students and faculty have.  While some Wooster geologists are enjoying a “soft rock” adventure in the … Continue reading

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We meet the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in Mississippi

STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI — George Phillips took us to a series of Starkville outcrops today straddling the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary.  The boundary here is gradational and generally marked by a color change from gray in the upper Prairie Bluff Formation to light … Continue reading

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Mud, Sun and Fossils

GREENVILLE, ALABAMA — Reconnaissance is over for this part of the state, and our work commenced this morning.  We want to find good sclerobiont communities above and below the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, so here that means we want specimens from the … Continue reading

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Post-Cretaceous Weirdness

GREENVILLE, ALABAMA — The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at Mussel Creek, Lowndes County, Alabama, has some unusual complexity.   At the southern end of the section it is simple enough, as shown in a previous blog post.  Just a few meters north, though, … Continue reading

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Geological fieldwork in the Deep South

GREENVILLE, ALABAMA — This is the first time I’ve done fieldwork in the southern USA.  The outcrops are of course very different from my favorite desert locations and oddly similar to those I visited in western Russia last summer.  I’m … Continue reading

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An intimate visit to the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

GREENVILLE, ALABAMA — It is one of the most famous geological horizons.  It marks the end of the Mesozoic Era and the beginning of the Cenozoic.  The “K/T boundary” is dated at 65.5 million years ago (±0.3 my) and is … Continue reading

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