Overview
- Unique volume - no precedent
- State-of-the-art perspective from leading practitioners from around the world
- Use of soil forensics from intelligence gathering to evidence in court, with casework examples
- Multi-disciplinary coverage e.g. expert witness to molecular ecology of cadaver decay in soils
- Global perspective-international coverage of contributing authors
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Table of contents (32 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Concepts
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Evidence
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Geoforensics
Keywords
About this book
Soils have important roles to play in criminal and environmental forensic science. Since the initial concept of using soil in forensic investigations was mooted by Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes stories prior to real-world applications, this branch of forensic science has become increasingly sophisticated and broad. New techniques in chemical, physical, biological, ecological and spatial analysis, coupled with informatics, are being applied to reducing areas of search by investigators, site identification, site comparison and measurement for the eventual use as evidence in court. Soils can provide intelligence, in assisting the determination of the provenance of samples from artifacts, victims or suspects, enabling their linkage to locations or other evidence. They also modulate change in surface or buried cadavers and hence affect the ability to estimate post-mortem or post-burial intervals, and locate clandestine graves. This interdisciplinary volume explores the conceptual and practical interplay of soil and geoforensics across the scientific, investigative and legal fields. Supported by reviews, case-studies from across the world, and reports of original research, it demonstrates the increasing convergence of a wide range of knowledge. It covers conceptual issues, evidence (from recovery to use in court), geoforensics, taphonomy, as well as leading-edge technologies. The application of the resultant soil forensics toolbox is leading to significant advances in improving crime detection, and environmental and national security.
Reviews
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics
Editors: Karl Ritz, Lorna Dawson, David Miller
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9204-6
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-9203-9Published: 23 December 2008
Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-8090-5Published: 19 October 2010
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-9204-6Published: 23 December 2008
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XL, 519
Topics: Forensic Science, Forensic Medicine, Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences, Soil Science & Conservation, Biogeosciences, Criminology and Criminal Justice, general