March Meeting — guest blog from Avi Vajpeyi

I was honoured to attend the APS meeting in Baltimore between 14-19 March. The meeting was amazing—though I found myself oscillating between: “I get this” to “Umm… I think I understand some of what they are talking about” to “Really? … Continue reading
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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: An encrusted and bored coral (maybe) from the Upper Ordovician of southeastern Indiana (Part I)

I found this lump of a gray rock in southeastern Indiana along a highway near the town of Liberty. It is from the Saluda Formation (Upper Ordovician), a thin unit that was likely deposited in very shallow, lagoonal waters along … Continue reading
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March Meeting Day 5

Whew! It’s been a while since I have been at the March Meeting for the full week, and I definitely reached information overload.  But before signing off, I wanted to summarize Day 5, Friday! There were a number of interesting … Continue reading
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Wildflowers of the Negev, 2016 version

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — One of my last posts from a trip into the Negev is a selection of flower images. (Here is the previous wildflower post. None of the blooms are the same.) I don’t know any of their … Continue reading
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Last day of fieldwork in Israel: More Jurassic enjoyment

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — For my last day of fieldwork during this short Spring Break trip to Israel, I returned to Makhtesh Gadol to collect a bit more data from subunits 65 and 66 of the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, … Continue reading
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My neighborhood in Mitzpe Ramon, southern Israel

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — Some images from the little town in the Negev where I spend my nights. I like being based here because my students and I are central to all of our diverse geological localities. It is also … Continue reading
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A geological obstacle course in Ada Canyon, southern Israel

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — As part of our Shabbat trip today, Yoav Avni wanted to take me up Ada Canyon (N30.32973°, E34.91417°) to explore the Hazeva (Miocene) and Arava (Pleistocene). He cryptically said, “There will be places we can barely … Continue reading
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A Shabbat trip to Be’er Ada in the southern Negev

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — Yoav Avni and I have a tradition on Shabbat. We drive somewhere to explore interesting geology and history unconnected to current projects. It’s not really work — it’s geotourism. We are, though, always talking about new … Continue reading
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At some point you must start collecting data

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — Today my friend Yoav Avni (Geological Survey of Israel) and I returned to Makhtesh Gadol to pursue a project with Subunit 65 of the Matmor Formation (Callovian, Middle Jurassic). You may recall this limestone contains an … Continue reading
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Paleontological heaven in the northern part of Makhtesh Gadol

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL — Today I spent quality time with two Israeli students and some of the most interesting fossils in the world. Yael Leshno and Or Eliasson, students at Hebrew University, joined me for a walking journey through the … Continue reading
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