Archive for August, 2018

Nance to Give ‘New’ Supercontinent Keynotes on Three Continents

R. Damian Nance

Dr. Damian Nance, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences at Ohio University, has been invited to give keynotes at major meetings on three continents about an article in which he provides evidence for the existence of Pannotia, a supercontinent predating Pangea by 300 million years. The article garnered widespread interest both here […]

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August 31, 2018 at 4:04 pmResearch

Perera and Stigall Publish Study Detailing Ecological Structure of Local Fossil-Rich Limestone

Nilmani Perera MS '17 examines the outcrop of the Ames Limestone on Witches Hill, Athens, Ohio

Generations of geology students at Ohio University have studied the Ames Limestone, the most fossiliferous rock layer in the Athens area, for class field trips and projects. This unit preserves skeletal remains of marine animals—corals, snails, brachiopods, trilobites, sharks— that inhabited a shallow sea that covered Athens about 300 million […]

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August 31, 2018 at 3:55 pmAlumni Research

Paleontologists Find New Snail Species with Evolutionary Speed

Two new species of Lanistes from the Nsungwe Formation

Snails may be physically rather slow, but the six new species identified by Ohio University researchers put on plenty of evolutionary speed when they had to. Ohio University paleontologists analyzing snail fossils from 24 to 26 million years ago have identified six new species—and published the first documentation of rapid […]

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August 31, 2018 at 3:39 pmAlumni News Research

Hembree and Carnes Investigate the Effects of Past Climate Change on Ancient Soils

Outcrop studied by Hembree and Carnes with climatically influenced soil zones labeled

Dr. Daniel Hembree, Professor of Geological Sciences, and former graduate student Jennifer Carnes M.S. ’17 recently published “Response of soils and soil ecosystems to the Pennsylvanian–Permian climate transition in the upper fluvial plain of the Dunkard Basin, southeastern Ohio, USA” in the open access journal Geosciences. In this study, Hembree […]

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August 31, 2018 at 3:17 pmAlumni Research

Geology Field Camp 2018

Doug Green instructs students as part of 2018 Geology Field Camp

by Keith Milam Associate Professor of Geological Sciences Westward Ho! Part II of GEOL 4960: Field Geology is underway! Nineteen seniors from the Department of Geological Sciences are hard at work making bedrock geologic maps and cross sections of outstanding exposures in southern Montana and northern Wyoming. Students aren’t just […]

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August 31, 2018 at 3:01 pmIn Class

OHIO Paleontologists Stigall, Hembree Present in Paris

Daniel Hembree and Alycia Stigall

Ohio University paleontologists Drs. Alycia Stigall and Daniel Hembree, both professors of Geological Sciences, presented at the 5th International Paleontological Congress in Paris (IPC5), France in July. The IPC5 is the largest gathering of professional paleontologists globally, and this meeting included more than 1,000 participants from around the world. All […]

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August 31, 2018 at 2:49 pmResearch

Geological Sciences Hosts International Conference on Campus

IGCP 653 conference attendees participate in a mid-conference field excursion to Maysville, Kentucky

Ohio University hosted the Third Annual Meeting of the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) 653 in June. This conference, titled “Trekking Across the GOBE (Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event): From the Cambrian through the Katian” brought together a group of 60 scientists from eight nations. Participants engaged in three days of scientific […]

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August 31, 2018 at 2:30 pmNews