FORS-2106EL Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Ecological Succession, Podzol, Borrow Pit
27 Jun 2018
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Forensic Biology - Day 9 2017.10.23
Forensic Investigation - A Soils perspective on the crime scene
-bones were packed in a bag, with material that was not just bones
-Remains were found by a fisherman and reported to the local police
-The remains were placed in a bag and sent to a forensic specialist in Sudbury
-There were no further details
-What material has become loved in the bones? What is growing on or with the bones
-Mineral material
-medium to coarse-grained sand
-dirty grey in colour
-Organic plant material
-raw humus, things that do not decompose very well therefore environment was
not very hospitable to decomposition, ex. damp and cold
-some leaves and leaf fragments
-Live plant material
-Analysis
-Mineral material
-The presence of sand suggests that the source is most likely glacial outwash
-Sand is an unconsolidated material and if disturbed it is likely to erode very
rapidly owing to wind and water
-Probably disturbances could be:
-Human (a sand quarry or borrow pit)
-Natural (a wave-cut beach or under-cut river bank\
-Grey sand and organic material with bones, suggested that the bones were lying,
at least in part, in the A2 horizon which means that the burial of the body has
been very shallow
-Sandy glacial outwash suggests that the site was close to a body of water
-What do we need to know to make this kind of analysis?
-The development of a soil is function of Jenny’s soil forming factor
-Soils=p,p,c,r,t
-p = parent material
-o = organisms
-c= climate
-r= reflief
-t=time
-Parent Material
-the pure mineral material from which soils evolve
-originates from the weathered rock in situ, or
-as a result of transport by ice, wind, water, or gravity in the form of:
-Glacial till
-glacial outwash
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Document Summary
Forensic investigation - a soils perspective on the crime scene. Bones were packed in a bag, with material that was not just bones. Remains were found by a sherman and reported to the local police. The remains were placed in a bag and sent to a forensic specialist in sudbury. What is growing on or with the bones. Raw humus, things that do not decompose very well therefore environment was not very hospitable to decomposition, ex. damp and cold. The presence of sand suggests that the source is most likely glacial outwash. Sand is an unconsolidated material and if disturbed it is likely to erode very rapidly owing to wind and water. Human (a sand quarry or borrow pit) Natural (a wave-cut beach or under-cut river bank\ Grey sand and organic material with bones, suggested that the bones were lying, at least in part, in the a2 horizon which means that the burial of the body has been very shallow.
