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 geopetal structure in a boring from the Middle Jurassic of Israel

We have a very simple trace and body fossil combination this week that provides a stratigraphic and structural geologic tool. Above is a bit of scleractinian coral from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of Makhtesh Gadol in southern Israel. … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A geopetal structure in a boring from the Middle Jurassic of Israel

Science fluorishes even on long train trips

SOSNOWIEC, POLAND — Today my friend and colleague Tomasz Borszcz and I had a ten-hour train trip from Sopot to Sosnowiec in southern Poland. Our destination was the University of Silesia to meet with Michał Zatoń for research. I didn’t see … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Science fluorishes even on long train trips

A day in Gdansk

  SOPOT, POLAND — It was a rainy, windy, cold day in northern Poland, but our able leader Piotr Kuklinski organized an enjoyable educational field trip to the ancient city of Gdansk, once known primarily by its German name, Danzig. … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on A day in Gdansk

Visiting an aquarium and historic ships in Gdynia, Poland

SOPOT, POLAND — After lunch today the Larwood 2014 meeting participants had an excellent field trip to the aquarium in Gdynia on the Baltic coast (above). This aquarium has a diverse and interesting collection, but for me the two historic … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Visiting an aquarium and historic ships in Gdynia, Poland

The last presentations of the 2014 Larwood Meeting, including a sober reminder for paleontologists

SOPOT, POLAND — This morning we had the final set of talks at Larwood 2014. Out of all the presentations, the one that struck me the most was by Paul Taylor and Andrea Waeschenbach entitled “Molecular phylogeny and the adequacy … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on The last presentations of the 2014 Larwood Meeting, including a sober reminder for paleontologists

A day of talks and scientific camaraderie at the 2014 Larwood Meeting

SOPOT, POLAND — Our first day of the Larwood Meeting was much fun, especially after I unloaded my presentation in the morning and could relax. We are gathering on the beautiful campus of the Instytut Oceanologii (one building pictured above), … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on A day of talks and scientific camaraderie at the 2014 Larwood Meeting

An evening of good food, games and talk deep in an Eastern European forest

SOPOT, POLAND — Our surprise dinner this evening was a Polish barbecue in the forest outside Sopot. I am impressed with how much forested land has been preserved around the three connected cities of Gdansk, Sopot and Gydnia. With a … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on An evening of good food, games and talk deep in an Eastern European forest

Wooster Geologist on the Baltic Coast

SOPOT, POLAND — Yes, that’s a view from my hotel window. I’ve suddenly found myself in an old resort town on the Baltic coast of Poland near the cities of Gdansk and Gydnia. Another one of those astonishing geographic transformations … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster Geologist on the Baltic Coast

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A fragment of an asteroid (the sea star kind) from the Upper Cretaceous of Israel

This is not an important fossil — there is not enough preserved to put a name on it beyond Family Goniasteridae Forbes, 1841 (thanks, Dan Blake) — but it was a fun one to find. It also photographs well. This is … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A fragment of an asteroid (the sea star kind) from the Upper Cretaceous of Israel

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: My favorite part of a crinoid (Middle Jurassic of Israel)

In April of this year I completed my 11th trip to southern Israel for fieldwork in the Mesozoic. My heart warmed every time I saw these robust plates of the crinoid Apiocrinities negevensis, which was reviewed in a previous blog … Continue reading
Continue reading

Posted in ScotBlogs Contributed | Comments Off on Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: My favorite part of a crinoid (Middle Jurassic of Israel)