Soil Analysis in Forensic Taphonomy: Chemical and Biological Effects of Buried Human Remains

This is the first book to focus on the impact of soil and its components on the postmortem fate of human remains. International in scope, the chapters deal with both inorganic and organic chemistry, as well as biological soil components, including invertebrate activity, fungi, and microbes. The book addresses rates and processes of decomposition, time of death estimates, and techniques for measuring and analyzing processes. It provides methods for characterizing and fingerprinting soils and offers an introduction to the nature, distribution, and origin of soil materials in forensic comparisons. The book features 27 tables of data and 12 pages of color images to enhance understanding.