Author Archives: Mark Wilson

About Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson is an emeritus Professor of Geology at The College of Wooster. He specializes in invertebrate paleontology, carbonate sedimentology, and stratigraphy. He also is an expert on pseudoscience, especially creationism.

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A naticid gastropod from the Pliocene of southern California

Mark Wilson October 28, 2016

This week’s fossil comes from our teaching collection. It’s label appears to be from the late 19th Century. It is a naticid gastropod (“moon snail“) listed as Polinices galianor. That name, which I can only find in two lists and … Continue reading →
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Wooster’s Pseudofossils of the Week: Artifacts in thin-sections of Ordovician limestones from southeastern Minnesota

Mark Wilson October 21, 2016

It is always exciting to a geologist when thin-sections of curious rocks are completed and ready for view. A thin-section is a wafer of rock (30 microns thick) glues to a glass slide and examined by transmitted light through a … Continue reading →
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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: Spiriferinid brachiopod from the Lower Carboniferous of Ohio

Mark Wilson October 14, 2016

Sometimes I choose a Fossil of the Week from our Invertebrate Paleontology teaching collection because students have responded to it in some way. This week’s fossil brachiopod has confused my students a bit because it is an internal mold (unusual … Continue reading →
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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Upper Ordovician strophomenid brachiopods from Iowa

Mark Wilson October 7, 2016

Since we are covering brachiopods in my paleontology course this week, I’ve chosen a very recognizable genus from the Upper Ordovician of Iowa for our Fossil of the Week. This wrinkly strophomenid brachiopod is of the genus Leptaena Dalman, 1828. … Continue reading →
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Wooster’s Pseudofossil of the Week: It’s not what it looks like

Mark Wilson September 30, 2016

Impressive, isn’t it? You can practically smell it steaming on your screen. Hard to believe this object is Miocene in age, about 6 million years old. Here’s another similar specimen in a top view, if we can say that. And … Continue reading →
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Last Day of GSA 2016: An empty room awaits

Mark Wilson September 28, 2016

DENVER, COLORADO — The last day of the Geological Society of America meeting has finally arrived. Early this morning the above room will begin to gather a few of the remaining participants for a series of talks, including my own. … Continue reading →
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Day Three of Wooster Geology at GSA 2016: Structure, lakes and John Muir

Mark Wilson September 27, 2016

DENVER, COLORADO — Cole Jimerson started us off in the poster session today at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. He faced a tough grilling at the start from none other than our own Dr. Pollock. Notice … Continue reading →
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Wooster Geology Alumni at GSA 2016

Mark Wilson September 27, 2016

DENVER, COLORADO — Many of the Wooster Geology alumni at GSA, along with current students and professors Pollock and Wilson, gathered this evening for conversations. It was great fun with many stories and lots of good advice for our students. … Continue reading →
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Another day of Wooster Geology at GSA 2016: Volcanoes and Fossils

Mark Wilson September 26, 2016

DENVER, COLORADO — On this second day of the Geological Society of America meeting we had several Wooster presenters. Above Cassidy Jester (’17) describes her developing Senior Independent Study work on Jurassic “snuff-boxes“. Dr. Pollock’s students Chloe Wallace and Ben … Continue reading →
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Wooster geologists begin their 2016 Geological Society of America meeting adventure

Mark Wilson September 25, 2016

DENVER, COLORADO — Seventeen Wooster students have now arrived in Denver for the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. Eleven of them are giving presentations of some sort. We are very proud of each. Dr. Meagen Pollock and … Continue reading →
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