Sherlock Holmes to CSI - how geologists help solve crimes
The Forensic Geology Group (FGG) and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Initiative on Forensic Geology were pleased to take up the challenge when Sarah Day from the Geological Society of London invited the group to present at the 2011 British Science Festival, hosted by the University of Bradford. The FGG presentation headline message was how forensic geology has played a key contributory role in several high profile criminal cases, in the UK and internationally, a role which continues to grow.
There were several key questions that the group addressed, namely:
- What does the scientific discipline of forensic geology involve and how and why has it developed over the last 10 years?
- How do recent advances in analytical techniques allow us to describe and analyse soil on, for example, a shoe and find its provenance?
- And how can the geologist assist in the search for criminal burials, victims of homicide or natural disaster?
- How can such geological information help in providing evidence in court?
A series of related talks were delivered to address these questions.
Further Information
- Lorna Dawson - Environmental and Biochemical Sciences, The James Hutton Institute Craigiebuckler Aberdeen AB15 8QH Scotland UK Office: +44 (0)7815 178093
