FORENSIC GEOLOGY: CONTROLLING FACTORS ON THE PRESERVATION OF HUMAN REMAINS

The prospect of recovering soft tissue, skeletal remains and/or associated burial artifacts during the exhumation of buried human remains is controlled by several interrelated natural and anthropogenic factors. The natural factors relate to the location and nature of the burial site while the anthropogenic factors relate to the nature and manner of the burial. Among the important natural factors to be considered are soil moisture, soil pH, porosity and permeability of the soil, hill slope, depth to water table, composition of soil and bedrock, climate and vegetation cover. Anthropogenic factors include type and extent of embalming, type of clothes/wrapping, casket design and construction, presence or absence of a burial vault and depth of burial.

Another factor of primary importance is the total elapsed time between burial and exhumation. A proposed exhumation of human remains involving other than a modern (less than 5 years) burial must be evaluated carefully before beginning the exhumation in order to predict the probable state of preservation of the remains. Such a prediction is needed to assess the overall feasibility of the project and to guide the design of the exhumation/excavation plan. Forensic geology plays an important role in such feasibility studies. The results from several recent exhumations will be used to indicate the importance of such studies.