Forensic geology: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Abstract

AbstractSir Arthur Conan Doyle and Hans Gross suggested the possibility of using soil and related material as physical evidence. Edmond Locard provided the intellectual basis for the use of the evidence. High-visibility cases, such as the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the Camarena case, the laboratory of the Garda Siochana in the Lord Mountbatten case and G. Lombardi in the Aldo Moro case, contributed to the general recognition that geological evidence could make an important contribution to justice. The value of geological evidence results from the almost unlimited number of rock, mineral, soil and related kinds of material combined with our ability to use instruments that characterize these materials. Forensic examinations involve identification of earth materials, comparison of samples to determine common source, studies that aid an investigation and intelligence studies. The future will see increased use of the evidence, new automated methods of examination, improved training of those who collect samples, and research on the diversity of soils and how, when and what parts of soils are transferred during various types of contact. The microscope will remain important because it allows the examiner to find the rare and unusual particle.