Soil: Forensic Analysis

Abstract

Abstract The history of forensic soil science and the importance of pedology, mineralogy, chemistry, biology, and spatial information data are reviewed from a world perspective. The significance and relevance of established concepts and standard terminologies used in pedology with practical relevance to forensic science are emphasized. A systematic approach for forensic soil examination is outlined, which combines soil morphology (e.g., color, consistency, texture, and structure), mineralogy (p owder X‐ray diffraction), chemistry (e.g., based upon infrared spectroscopy analyses), biology, and spatial field mapping information. These methods are applied in three stages: (i) rapid characterization of composite soil particles in whole soil samples for the quick screening of samples (Stage 1); (ii) detailed characterization and quantification of composite and individual soil particles following sample selection, size fractionation, and detailed mineralogical and organic matter analyses using advanced analytical methods (Stage 2); and (iii) integration and extrapolation of soil information from one scale to next, to build a coherent model of soil information from microscopic observations to the landscape scale (Stage 3). This combined information is used for geographic sourcing to identify the origin of a crime scene soil sample by placing constraints on the environment from which the sample originated. Finally, “forensic soil science” as a newly developed discipline of soil science has matured to the extent that well‐defined questions and successful crime scene investigations can be answered in increasingly refined ways.