The Isle of Man forms a crucial piece of the geological jigsaw that makes up the continents of Europe and North America. However, for many years the Island's geology has missed the attention it deserves and it is only recently that some of its geological significance has been uncovered.
The aim of the guide is to help both the professional geologist and the interested amateur to investigate the rocks themselves and to put them in a modern scientific context. The guide is in two parts: the first provides an overview of the geology of the island and tries to explain how this evolved over time. The second part describes specific localities in the form of a series of excursion itineraries. These have formed the basis of highly instructive field courses for students as well as both professional and amateur geologists. With its wide variety of geological features, mostly easily accessible on foreshores, students and leaders alike have found the island fascinating.