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Practising science: Reading the rocks and ecology

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Have you ever wondered how scientists analyse the environment? This free course, Practising science: Reading the rocks and ecology, introduces you to the techniques used by science students at residential schools. You will learn how to determine where rocks have come from and how they were made. You will also examine the processes involved in determining the ecology of a particular area.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • explain the difference between a mineral and a rock
  • describe the textural differences between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
  • account for these differences in terms of the processes that produce these rocks
  • classify igneous rocks according to their grain size and mineralogical composition
  • recognise the difference between a body fossil and a trace fossil.
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First Published: 09/08/2012

Updated: 10/04/2019

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