This book is a field guide that describes and explains the commonest minerals and rocks as well as introducing the most important fossil groups. In addition, a variety of geological structures are described and illustrated in the numerous diagrams and photographs. The guide is your perfect companion for hikes or walks in the countryside, inviting you to discover the geology hidden behind the landscapes surrounding us, as well as helping you to recognise the various minerals, rocks and fossils, you might encounter.

Geology is a science that only really comes to life when we are outside, for example, on walks or hikes along the coast or through national parks. With a little knowledge you will be able to experience the landscape in a completely different way. The rocks will “come alive”, so to speak, and you will be able to read their history like a book - understanding the range and complexity of geological processes which have formed the Earth beneath our feet. Such processes - an interplay of magmatism, tectonics, metamorphosis and sedimentation, as well as climate and sea-level change - have shaped the Earth over millennia and continue to do so even at the present time.

The book is aimed at nature lovers of all types, as well as students of geology – in fact, anyone who is interested in the world around us. It will provide the perfect companion for walks or hikes in the countryside.

This book is a translation of the original German 1^st edition Pocket Guide Geologie im Gelände by Tom McCann, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2019. The initial translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent detailed revision by the author ensures that the book reads stylistically like a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.