The book includes a comprehensive glossary and maps, and comes lavishly illustrated. While essential reading for first- and second-year Geology undergraduates, A-level Geology teachers and students, as well as enthusiastic amateur Geologists, will also enjoy this book.

Available now ISBN: 0 7492 0138 X - Published by the Open University

Courses:
If you're interested in science and want a taste of Open University study, the Science Faculty has prepared a series of short courses on scientific topics (including life in the oceans, astronomy, mammals, planets, fossils, exploring Mars, genetics and the history of the Universe). Each course offers about 80 to 100 hours of study and could be suitable for you if you feel you're ready for working at a higher education level.

Short courses offer greater flexibility in OU study. They give you a chance to try out an area of interest before committing to a longer course, or to top up knowledge and skills between longer courses; you can study at different times of the year, as most courses are presented in February, May, September and November; and you can choose if you wish to study over a 10 week period, or across five months, adjusting the study load to suit your lifestyle. You can find out more on the Science short courses website

More specifically, the OU offers a range of courses at all levels which pick up the geological or environmental themes of British Isles: A Natural History.

If you're totally new to the subject area, or would like a refresher, this might be a good starting point:

S103 - Discovering Science
This course covers many fascinating aspects of biology, physics, chemistry and Earth science; dealing with topics which range from global warming to the origin of life, ecology and genetics to earthquakes and volcanoes, chemical reactions and the structure of atoms to the origin of the universe. The second block of this course focuses on global warming as a consequence of both natural and human activity.

Enivironmental Science
S216 - Environmental Science
In a course which draws together biology, chemistry, Earth science and physics, the students will discover the ways in which the many elements of the environment combine and interact with each other. A special feature of the course are two multimedia interactive field trips in which you can explore an area observing habitats, gathering data and analysing your observations. Through this, you'll become adept at making critical analyses of landform, soils and water flows, identifying habitats of flora and fauna, and commenting on anthropogenic influences and their likely consequences.

SXR216 - Environmental Science In The Field
In this residential school course you visit a variety of sites where you apply your knowledge of biology, chemistry, Earth science and physics to study interactions and feedback in the environment, including landforms, soils, water and vegetation. These field studies are supported by laboratory sessions in which you analyse your observations and the data that you have gathered. The one-week school offers a choice of dates and sites, from May to September. There is one assessment to be completed at the school, and another, based on activities at the school, that you complete afterwards.

Geology
S260 - Geology
This one-year course is aimed at people who have completed S103, or have studied science to an equivalent level. It begins to look in detail at landforms, rocks and minerals and the processes that make them.

SXR260 - The Geological History of the British Isles
This provides the practical fieldwork experience needed if you wish to study Earth Sciences further, and is based around a one-week residential school in the north of England. There is also a book outlining the geological history of the British Isles.

S278 - Earth's Physical Resources: Origin, Use and Environmental Impact
Cars, concrete, computers and central heating systems: what do they have in common? To make them and to use them we have to extract physical resources such as minerals, water, fossil fuels and metals from the Earth. Modern civilization depends more and more on the world’s resources to create the very fabric of everyday life. How then, can these escalating levels of resource extraction be sustainable? This course offers a ‘down to earth’ approach to the extraction and exploitation of physical resources.

Considering the environment, three major themes present themselves: those of ecology, biodiversity and climate change. These are all subjects that can be studied at the Open University.

Ecology
Y153 - Breakthrough to Mathematics, Science and Technology
This course introduces students to biology, science and mathematics via two modules: Our Living Environment and Thinking about Measurement. The first introduces students to topics as diverse as acid rain to environmental protests and shows how they are related. This module offers students new ways of thinking about the environment, looking beyond the obvious into nature’s underlying patterns.

S180 - Life in the Oceans: Discovering Our Blue Planet
How have marine organisms adapted to life in the oceans? How do marine ecosystems differ from those on land? Why do some areas of the ocean teem with life, while others only do so seasonally? This short course considers marine biology, geology, chemistry and physics in an attempt to answer these and more questions.

S182 - Studying Mammals
Learn about how mammals differ from other animals; their social habits, how they feed and reproduce and how their survival is threatened by human activities. The mammals studied in this short course range from the familiar – such as cats, dogs and foxes – to the rare, exotic and spectacular – tigers, whales and polar bears. Particular attention is paid to the approaches that scientists use to find out more information about mammals, including how mammals have evolved over the 200 million years or so since the earliest types appeared on Earth.

The course assumes no prior knowledge in the field of biology and introduces scientific issues if and when you need them.

Biodiversity
S204 - Biology: Uniformity and Diversity
This is a course that you would be expected to take in your second year of study. It provides a broad foundation of biology, from the molecular level, through cell structure to looking at the overall organism and its environment. The first two sections of this course look at the classification of diversity biological investigation, as well as the genetic basis of diversity.