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The Open University

Practising science: Reading the rocks and ecology

The Open University via OpenLearn

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Overview

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.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Earth Sciences: reading the rocks
  • 1 Earth Sciences: reading the rocks
  • 1.1 The Earth's crust
  • 1.2 Minerals and rocks
  • 1.2.1 Minerals
  • 1.2.2 Rocks
  • 1.3 The formation of igneous rocks
  • 1.3.1 Igneous rocks in the landscape
  • 1.3.2 Texture of igneous rocks
  • 1.3.3 Chemical and mineral composition of igneous rocks
  • 1.3.4 Classifying igneous rocks
  • 1.4 The formation of sedimentary rocks
  • 1.4.1 Sedimentary material
  • 1.4.2 Sedimentary processes
  • 1.4.3 Sedimentary strata
  • 1.4.4 Stratigraphy and geological time
  • 1.4.5 Fossils and ancient environments
  • 1.4.6 Sedimentary structures
  • 1.5 The formation of metamorphic rocks
  • 1.5.1 Causes of metamorphism
  • 1.5.2 Metamorphic recrystallisation
  • 1.6 Interlude
  • 1.7 Geological fieldwork
  • 1.7.1 Making and using field sketches
  • 1.7.2 Interpretation of a geological exposure
  • 1.7.3 Explaining the observations
  • 1.8 The rock cycle
  • 1.8.1 Moving around the rock cycle
  • 1.9 Changing sea-level
  • 1.10 Summary
  • 2 What is ecology?
  • 2 What is ecology?
  • 2.1 Why study ecology?
  • 2.2 Two factors affecting the distribution of organisms
  • 2.2.1 Soil pH
  • 2.2.2 Salinity, desiccation and biotic interactions on seashores
  • 2.3 Starting a field study
  • 2.4 Collecting quantitative data
  • Conclusion
  • Keep on learning
  • Acknowledgements

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Reviews

4.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.3 rating at OpenLearn based on 21 ratings

Start your review of Practising science: Reading the rocks and ecology

  • Profile image for Pat Bowden
    Pat Bowden @pat
    A text-based (no videos) overview of rocks and how they are formed, with a brief run through ecology. While photos and diagrams were included, more would have enhanced the learning experience, particularly of different types of rocks and how they look in their natural surroundings.
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