Author Archives: Mark Wilson

Tartu, Estonia — Today Bill Ausich and I began our work in the University of Tartu Natural History Museum. Our most knowledgeable and helpful host is chief geology curator Mare Isakar. This museum is just a short walk from our … Continue reading →
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Tartu, Estonia — Disconcertingly it says “chemistry”, but there really is a geology department inside this building on the University of Tartu campus. The Geology Department is part of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences. We are very impressed … Continue reading →
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Tartu, Estonia — Today Bill and I had a spectacular geology and culture field trip in northeastern Estonia. As you can see in the images, the weather was excellent, if a little warm. Our Estonian hosts took us from Tartu … Continue reading →
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I spent two weeks in wonderful places making presentations, doing research, scouting for student Independent Study projects, and seeing friends and colleagues. Here is a guide to the blog posts by date — June 6: Bryozoologists gather in Wales June … Continue reading →
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London, England — The Natural History Museum is one of my favorite places on Earth. It is a secular cathedral of science; a celebration of life’s long history and glorious diversity. I’ve had the pleasure of working here many times, … Continue reading →
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Today I made the long train journey from Aberystwyth to London, so I have just a brief post about the spherical stone objects above. They are stone cannon balls recovered in an archaeological investigation of Aberystwyth Castle. Tim Palmer is … Continue reading →
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Aberystwyth, Wales — My last full day in Wales with my hosts Tim and Caroline Palmer was again different from every other day in this country. I have had a stimulating diversity of experiences on this short trip. For example, … Continue reading →
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Aberystwyth, Wales — Let’s start with the castle as my tour of Wales with Tim and Caroline Palmer continues. Above is the storied Harlech Castle in North Wales. It was built of sandstone blocks by Edward I in the 13th … Continue reading →
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Aberystwyth, Wales — Caroline Palmer provided Tim and me a wonderful experience in a scenic Welsh valley on a perfect Welsh day. She is a trustee of an organization that supports charities in the region. In that office she received … Continue reading →
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Aberystwyth, Wales — After the successful Larwood Meeting in Cardiff, I took a train to Carmarthen and met my friends Tim and Caroline Palmer for a delightful few days in Wales seeing building stones and geological sites. I’ve known Tim … Continue reading →
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