The pavement is a surprisingly fruitful hunting ground for the keen
petrologist, mineralogist and palaeontologist: polished slabs of exotic
rock decorate many city buildings. Now help is at hand for the less confident
stone buffs, in the form of a set of postcards* of rocks showing the crystals
and textures at their natural size. Devised by the Department of Extra-Mural
Studies at the University of Manchester as part of a geology course, the
cards illustrate 16 common building stones – such as Balmoral Red, a fine-grained
granite from Finland. Match the card to the facade, then turn over to read
the informative caption.
*Set of 16 for £3.50 inc. VAT and p&p available from Veena
Seth, Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University of Manchester M13 9PL.
