| Abstract: | A role is suggested for geological sites in ecology courses for school and college students. From observations on the nature of the rock and, particularly, its fossils it is possible to deduce the nature of the environment at the time the rock was deposited. An example of a checklist for use in the field shows the kind of observations and deductions that can be made on rock structures, textures, fossil morphology, taxonomy, and mode of preservation. Notes are provided on means by which fossils may be extracted and cleaned for examination and identification. The final section deals with the problem of finding suitable sites and the appropriate literature for identifying and interpreting the material found. |
