Volume 66, 2025 | Criminal investigation and scientific methods applied to geological evidence: the contribution of forensic geology, botany, and entomology to the judicial system (EGU 2023 ITS4.2/BG1.12 session)

EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 April 2023
Editor(s): Roberta Somma, Jason H. Byrd, Sebastiano D’Amico, Lorna Dawson, Marina Morabito, and Anna Masseroli
The use of geological evidence may help the judicial system to solve cases of homicide, corpse concealment, hit-and-run accidents, kidnappings, sexual assaults, geohazard problematics, environmental damages, animal maltreatment, wildlife crimes, and gemstone and fossil fraud. Forensic geologists may be supported by a team of experts during the scientific investigation of the most serious crimes. Geology, botany, and entomology are significant branches of the forensic sciences that may be simultaneously involved in a holistic approach for analysing inorganic (minerals and rocks), anthropogenic (glass, brick fragments), and organic (plant and insect remains) materials found as trace or micro-trace physical evidence at outdoor crime scenes and on the victim and/or suspect in cases of homicide or ground concealment. Different analytical methods are applied to geological trace evidence to identify, characterize, and quantify the geological trace. These analyses may be non-destructive (as in the case of gemstone fraud) or destructive. Most aim to obtain information on the compatibility degree among unknown and known samples and the possible provenance. Based on the above, different experts may collaborate with geologists and investigate geological evidence together in research teams. Geologists approaching forensic geology need to master sedimentology, micropaleontology, physical geology, petrography, gemology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, soil sciences, geomorphology, stratigraphy, regional geology, remote sensing, and applied geology and geophysics. Botanists address their investigation in forensic botany by studying plant ecology, vegetal anatomy, systematics, palynology, algology, and plant DNA in soil and sediment. On the other hand, entomologists approach forensic entomology by studying chemistry, biology, human and animal health, molecular science, and animal DNA in soil and sediment. Accordingly, this special issue welcomes research contributions on earth sciences, environmental sciences, botany, and entomology with a holistic approach to solving criminal cases. In this context, particular attention will be given to the following topics: comparative analyses of geological trace evidence, reconstruction of walking, study of and search for clandestine graves, geographical profiling, environmental forensics, and gemstone fraud.

Volume 66, 2025 | Criminal investigation and scientific methods applied to geological evidence: the contribution of forensic geology, botany, and entomology to the judicial system (EGU 2023 ITS4.2/BG1.12 session)

EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 April 2023
Editor(s): Roberta Somma, Jason H. Byrd, Sebastiano D’Amico, Lorna Dawson, Marina Morabito, and Anna Masseroli
The use of geological evidence may help the judicial system to solve cases of homicide, corpse concealment, hit-and-run accidents, kidnappings, sexual assaults, geohazard problematics, environmental damages, animal maltreatment, wildlife crimes, and gemstone and fossil fraud. Forensic geologists may be supported by a team of experts during the scientific investigation of the most serious crimes. Geology, botany, and entomology are significant branches of the forensic sciences that may be simultaneously involved in a holistic approach for analysing inorganic (minerals and rocks), anthropogenic (glass, brick fragments), and organic (plant and insect remains) materials found as trace or micro-trace physical evidence at outdoor crime scenes and on the victim and/or suspect in cases of homicide or ground concealment. Different analytical methods are applied to geological trace evidence to identify, characterize, and quantify the geological trace. These analyses may be non-destructive (as in the case of gemstone fraud) or destructive. Most aim to obtain information on the compatibility degree among unknown and known samples and the possible provenance. Based on the above, different experts may collaborate with geologists and investigate geological evidence together in research teams. Geologists approaching forensic geology need to master sedimentology, micropaleontology, physical geology, petrography, gemology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, soil sciences, geomorphology, stratigraphy, regional geology, remote sensing, and applied geology and geophysics. Botanists address their investigation in forensic botany by studying plant ecology, vegetal anatomy, systematics, palynology, algology, and plant DNA in soil and sediment. On the other hand, entomologists approach forensic entomology by studying chemistry, biology, human and animal health, molecular science, and animal DNA in soil and sediment. Accordingly, this special issue welcomes research contributions on earth sciences, environmental sciences, botany, and entomology with a holistic approach to solving criminal cases. In this context, particular attention will be given to the following topics: comparative analyses of geological trace evidence, reconstruction of walking, study of and search for clandestine graves, geographical profiling, environmental forensics, and gemstone fraud.
24 Feb 2025
Teaching geology at the secondary college in Morocco: difficulties and remedies
Abdellatif Chakib and Mohammed Talbi
Adv. Geosci., 66, 1–9, https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-66-1-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-66-1-2025, 2025
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