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.

Snuffboxes! Team Dorset has a project

Mark Wilson June 19, 2016

Sherborne, England — Cassidy Jester (’17) now has a Senior Independent Study project: Origin and paleoecology of ferruginous oncoids (“snuffboxes”) from the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) of southern England and northern France. (We’re not going to France; I have specimens I … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Snuffboxes! Team Dorset has a project

Team Dorset closes in on a project

Mark Wilson June 19, 2016

Sherborne, England — Another gorgeous day of exploring in the Middle Jurassic of southern England. The weather and the companions could not be better. Today was our last day of reconnaissance and tomorrow Cassidy Jester (’17) begins her Independent Study … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Team Dorset closes in on a project

Jurassic cephalopod heaven in southwestern England

Mark Wilson June 19, 2016

Sherborne, England — Cassidy Jester (’17) and I are now at our main base in a bed and breakfast in northern Dorset. Our lodgings are a converted milking house on an estate with a beautiful view of the surrounding rolling … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Jurassic cephalopod heaven in southwestern England

Team Dorset arrives in England

Mark Wilson June 19, 2016

Ilminster, Somerset, England — Little Team Dorset, consisting of Cassidy Jester (’17) and me, arrived today in England after a long journey of cars, planes and trains. As you can see from the above image of the Bristol Temple Meads … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Team Dorset arrives in England

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Symbiotic interactions in the Silurian of Baltica

Mark Wilson June 17, 2016

This week’s fossils are from work Olev Vinn (University of Tartu, Estonia) and I did last summer that is soon to appear in the journal Lethaia. (An early electronic version of the manuscript has been available since November.) After numerous … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Symbiotic interactions in the Silurian of Baltica

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A fracture-shaped bioerosion trace from the Pliocene of Cyprus

Mark Wilson June 10, 2016

This past semester I worked with three colleagues on a massive trace fossil review paper, which we hope meets success in the next month or so. My primary job on the team was to sort out bioerosion traces, especially those … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A fracture-shaped bioerosion trace from the Pliocene of Cyprus

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: A bored Ordovician hardground from Ohio, and an introduction to a new paper on trace fossils and evolution

Mark Wilson June 3, 2016

Above is an image of a carbonate hardground (cemented seafloor) from the Upper Ordovician of Adams County, Ohio. It comes from the Bull Fork Formation and was recovered along State Route 136 north of Manchester, Ohio (Locality C/W-20). It is … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: A bored Ordovician hardground from Ohio, and an introduction to a new paper on trace fossils and evolution

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Echinoderm holdfasts from the Upper Cambrian of Montana

Mark Wilson May 27, 2016

The white buttons above are echinoderm holdfasts from the Snowy Range Formation (Upper Cambrian) of Carbon County, southern Montana. They and their hardground substrate were well described back in the day by Brett et al. (1983). We have these specimens … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Echinoderm holdfasts from the Upper Cambrian of Montana

Construction of the new Life Sciences building begins, and the geologists welcome our new biologist labmates

Mark Wilson May 24, 2016

Wooster, Ohio — The College of Wooster community will soon say goodbye to Mateer Hall (above), which has housed the Biology Department for decades. It will be demolished next month to make way for the new Ruth Williams Hall of … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Construction of the new Life Sciences building begins, and the geologists welcome our new biologist labmates

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A phyllocarid crustacean from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada

Mark Wilson May 20, 2016

We are fortunate at Wooster to have a few fossils from the Burgess Shale (Middle Cambrian) collected near Burgess Pass, British Columbia, Canada, including this delicate phyllocarid Canadaspis perfecta (Walcott, 1912). This species is one of the oldest crustaceans, a … Continue reading →
Continue reading →

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A phyllocarid crustacean from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada