Soil examination for a forensic trace evidence laboratory – Part 2: Elemental analysis

Woods, Brenda; Kirkbride, K. Paul; Lennard, Chris; Robertson, James

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.10.018

Cited by 46 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…From the RM-XRD results in deferrified clays (Table 2), it was possible to state that there is predominance of kaolinite in most analyzed samples (292-570 g/kg), with exception of samples from 2A site (9)(10)(11)(12). These samples presented lower kaolinite contents (259-345 g/kg) and high quartz contents (261-385 g/kg).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…KEYWORDS: forensic science, rietveld method, multivariate analysis, dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate, kaolinite, gibbsite, crystallite size Soil vestiges might produce important information in criminal investigations (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16), and these vestiges might be transferred and remain impregnated in the victim's or criminal's accessories such as tools, shoe soles, wheels and tires, clothes (10). Using suitable techniques, these vestiges might provide accurate information about the crime scene, through comparison with previously mapped locations and analyzed soil samples (2).…”

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confidence: 99%

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X‐ray Diffraction and Rietveld Refinement in Deferrified Clays for Forensic Science

Prandel

Melo

Brinatti

et al. 2017

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Soil vestiges might provide information about a crime scene. The Rietveld method with X-ray diffraction data (RM-XRD) is a nondestructive technique that makes it possible to characterize minerals present in the soils. Soil clays from the metropolitan region of Curitiba (Brazil) were submitted to DCB treatment and analyzed using XRD with CuK a radiation in the step-scan mode (0.02°2h/5 s). The GSAS+EXP-GUI software was used for RM refinement. The RM-XRD results, together with the principal component analysis (PCA) (52.6% total variance), showed the kaolinite predominance in most analyzed samples and the highest quartz contents in "site 1." Higher anatase, and gibbsite and muscovite contents influenced discrimination, mainly in "site 3" and "site 1," respectively. These results were enough to discriminate clays of four sites and two horizons using a reduced amount of sample showing that the technique can be applied to the investigation into soil vestiges.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

X‐ray Diffraction and Rietveld Refinement in Deferrified Clays for Forensic Science

Prandel

Melo

Brinatti

et al. 2017

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…Biological methods, such as palynology and DNA analysis for instance, also contribute significantly to the success of soil forensics (e.g., ). The use of geological material, such as soil, in forensic investigations is increasing in police forces around the world, including at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), as well as in other forensic agencies (e.g., ). Forensic soil provenancing, a sub‐discipline within forensic geology, can be defined as the capability to spatially constrain the likely region of origin of an evidentiary sample of earth‐related material .…”

Section: Empirical Soil Provenancingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictive Soil Provenancing (PSP): An Innovative Forensic Soil Provenance Analysis Tool

Caritat

Simpson

Woods

2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Soil is a common evidence type used in forensic and intelligence operations. Where soil composition databases are lacking or inadequate, we propose to use publicly available soil attribute rasters to reduce forensic search areas. Soil attribute rasters, which have recently become widely available at high spatial resolutions, typically three arc‐seconds (~90 m), are predictive models of the distribution of soil properties (with confidence limits) derived from data mining the inter‐relationships between these properties and several environmental covariates. Each soil attribute raster is searched for pixels that satisfy the compositional conditions of the evidentiary soil sample (target value ± confidence limits). We show through an example that the search area for an evidentiary soil sample can be reduced to <10% of the original investigation area. This Predictive Soil Provenancing (PSP) approach is a transparent, reproducible, and objective method of efficiently and effectively reducing the likely provenance area of forensic soil samples.

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“…Furthermore, recent studies indicate laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has proven successful in characterizing particulate matter, pyrophoric materials, and analogs of GSR. [13][14][15][16] Thus, the objective of this study is to conduct forensic analysis on lead-free GSRs produced from commercially available ammunition by LIBS and SEM-EDX.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Rapid Characterization of Lead-Free Gunshot Residues

et al. 2017

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This study investigated the use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) as means of characterizing gunshot residue (GSR) originating from commercially available lead-free rounds. Data from two experiments are presented in this work. One experiment focused on identifying prominent analytical markers present in lead-free GSR by LIBS while the other applied SEM-EDX to determine the degree of evidence preservation after LIBS analysis. Samples of GSR were collected via tape-lift method from the hands of volunteer shooters and instrumental analyses were conducted in triplicate. As a result, the lead-free ammunition analyzed in this work generated GSRs comprising primarily Ba, Al, Si, and/or K. Trace amounts of Ti, Fe, and S were also apparent in some compositions. Through SEM-EDX analysis, a spheroidal geometry consistent with traditional lead-containing GSR was observed. Additionally, it was determined that evidence is preserved after LIBS analysis which supports the implementation of LIBS as a rapid preliminary screening method followed by confirmatory testing via SEM-EDX on the preserved evidence.

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Soil examination for a forensic trace evidence laboratory – Part 2: Elemental analysis

Cited by 46 publications

References 20 publications

X‐ray Diffraction and Rietveld Refinement in Deferrified Clays for Forensic Science

X‐ray Diffraction and Rietveld Refinement in Deferrified Clays for Forensic Science

Predictive Soil Provenancing (PSP): An Innovative Forensic Soil Provenance Analysis Tool

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Rapid Characterization of Lead-Free Gunshot Residues

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