FORENSIC GEOLOGY: CRIMINAL, REGULATORY, AND CIVIL APPLICATIONS

Forensic science is the application of scientific principles and analyses to matters of law; forensic geology is the application of geological science to legal matters. These matters can include criminal prosecution, compliance with Federal, state, and local regulatory requirements, and civil litigation. Many geologists have been involved with legal matters, applying geologic knowledge and expertise, often in specialized areas such as hydrogeology, geochemistry, and geophysics, to environmental matters subject to regulatory requirements or in civil litigation, for example. Much less common is the application of geology to criminal matters. Criminal investigations & prosecution, regulatory proceedings, and civil litigation all share certain common elements but there are also important differences for geologists to consider in seeking to apply their knowledge, experience, and expertise to these various types of proceedings. The specific questions to be answered, the nature and scope of analyses, and how results are conveyed do have significant and important differences, depending on the legal context and forum. In particular, this talk compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between the different applications of forensic geology.