Geoforensics
Dallas C. Mildenhall · Geophysical Journal International · 2009
To the layperson, a book on geoforensics should not take up too many pages. To the forensic earth scientist, it is an exciting and far-reaching discipline in which many of the techniques have not yet been adequately documented, developed or advertised, and which remain largely unknown to the people who would most benefit by using them—Police, other law enforcement agencies and forensic service groups. Ruffell and McKinley take 332 pages to summarize the extraordinary range of geological techniques, many of which would be rarely used, that have application in forensic earth science and plead to experts to produce their own books on sparsely documented specialist topics within this field, including forensic geophysics, micro-palaeontology, soil DNA and remote sensing. The conversational writing style enables the reader, without detailed knowledge of the various techniques described, to learn a little about each topic, and reference is always given to more advanced books, papers and web sites, even Wikipedia. The book is aimed at readers without a full geological background, and I could find no scientific issues in the book that I would seriously disagree with, although as with most summaries of forensic issues, one could get the wrong impression, for examples, about fakes—not all feathered dinosaurs from China are fake. Most of the book concentrates on the mainly geophysical and other techniques used to uncover buried remains (e.g. bodies, munitions, vehicles) or underground environmental problems (e.g. toxic waste). The techniques are simply but very adequately described, with some case histories based on the authors' experience in Ireland, but most case histories are from previously published accounts. The techniques described include geological and geographical mapping, hydrodynamics, seismic, gravity, electrical, magnetic, ground-penetrating radar, radiometrics, X-ray imaging, along with various remote sensing and geographic information system applications. This is followed by a section on statistical analysis in geoforensics, which I would recommend that all scene-of-crime-officers (SOCOs), forensic scientists and law enforcement agents read to learn when and why to call in the geoscientist early in an investigation. The authors stress that the number of control or comparator samples that need to be collected from a crime scene, no matter the scene size, is as many as possible. That is not always done for reasons of time, cost (both in collecting and analysing) and ignorance. Chapters 7 and 8 discuss conventional geological analysis and trace evidence. One brief case history mentioned in Chapter 7, quoting Murray & Tedrow (1991), concerning bottles of whisky imported into Canada that were replaced by Carboniferous limestone from central England, is so similar to a case described by Haile (1990, referring to bottles of whisky imported into Borneo replaced with Carboniferous limestone sourced from the vicinity of Glasgow) that I wonder if the original case has become embellished in the telling with countries changing or whether the same strategy has been used more than once. Chapter 10 summarizes all previous chapters, followed by two short appendices on search methods and soil sampling. A glossary is given of some terms not explained in the text. The index leaves a lot to be desired: it is quite short; idiosyncratic and most incomplete. Why is Osama Bin Laden included and electromagnetism not? Also, far more information occurs throughout the book than is indicated by the page numbers assigned to some of the items indexed. The long list of references cited in the book is an excellent source of additional material and advice. I note that Ruffell & McKinley 2004 is missing from the references (unless the citation should be to Ruffell & McKinley 2005). Note also that Sugita & Marumo (2004) do not specifically mention spores and pollen in Japanese soils, as suggested on p. 259. There are a few grammatical and spelling errors that need correcting for future editions, for example, the misspelling of altitude in the caption to Fig. 2.6, rocks types (p. 51), matural instead of natural (p. 74) and ‘neither…not’ (p. 307). I am still not used to ‘different to’, which seems to be used now far more than the grammatically correct ‘different from’. However, these do not detract from an enjoyable read. I would like to have seen far more emphasis on the geoforensic techniques that can be used for the analysing and collecting of trace evidence because, from my experience, these are the areas in which the forensic geologist's help is more often asked for—where does this rock, soil sample, dirt, etc. come from? How many comparator samples do I need to collect to relate the evidential sample to the actual or supposed crime scene? The emphasis on the search for clandestine burials seems to reflect the authors' experiences rather than the more common questions that forensic geologists are asked. However, the emphasis on the less usual geoforensic techniques is deliberate, given the many publications currently available, and Chapter 8 on trace analysis is a ‘must read’. The diagrams are simple and easily understood and many photographs are in colour. Some of the photographs are rather small and could be cropped more judiciously, as they provide more scenery or surroundings than illustrate the issues under discussion. The book has a distinct United Kingdom bias, but even so, is an essential reference source for all interested in forensic geology and geography—law enforcement and environmental agencies, university criminology departments, forensic and environmental scientists, archaeologists and others interested in the detection of surface and subsurface anomalies. It stresses the need for geoscientists to use a combination of appropriate geoforensic methods, rather than just one, and be called quickly to the crime scene to undertake the appropriate surveying and sampling strategies to answer the questions being posed, rather than the SOCOs doing that job. From my experience, many cases have been compromised by inappropriate and untimely sampling by inadequately trained field officers. The cost of books has risen rapidly recently, and this one is no exception. At over £100 for a hard covered copy, it may prove too expensive for cash-strapped organizations that do not undertake regular geoforensic and environmental investigations.