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JSmith

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JSmith

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JSmith

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JSmith

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Forensic Soil Analysis is the use of soil sciences and other disciplines to aid in criminal investigation. Soils are like fingerprints because every type of soil that exists has unique properties that act as identification markers. This means that the origin of the soil sample can be identified. For example, clay embedded in the sneaker of a criminal can be traced back to a specific clay type found along a lake where a murder victim was discovered. The majority of soil cases involves footprints or tire marks that have been left in the soil.

The unique properties of soil are as follows:

Sediment - the original solid particles that were weathered and transported. This could be in the form of a grain of rock that breaks off of the larger parent material (larger version of rock). Soils can develop on these sediments due to physical and chemical alteration.

Color - indicates its history as well as the compounds present in the soil. For example, white or gray soil could mean that the soil contains lime or has been leeched((a chemical, a metal, etc.) from a substance by the action of a liquid passing through the substance. Gray soil can also mean that the organic material or moisture is present, black soil suggests the same. Soil that is red,brown or yellow generally suggests that there is iron present.

Structure-indicates whether a soil is composed of a single grain particle or not. This is determined by the presence of peds (clumps). These peds are formed due to cementing agents such as calcium carbonate attracting the soil particles so that they adhere to each other to form either bulky peds which are small conglomerates (masses) or platy peds which are flat and sheet like.

Soil samples can be collected in different ways depending on where the sample is being collected from. If samples are being collected indoors or from a vehicle vacuuming is generally used. If the sample is outdoors it's collected by placing a teaspoon of soil into a plastic vial. When found on a tool, it is wrapped in plastic and then sent to the lab for testing. Collecting soil samples off of a body isn't any harder than collecting a sample from anywhere else but it takes more work and care so that the evidence doesn't get contaminated. When collecting samples from a body, samples should be taken at regular intervals and a different spoon should be used each time.

Once the soil samples are collected they are sent to the laboratory. At the laboratory samples should be separated by samples from the victim and samples pertaining to the suspect. Also, each sample set should get its own examiner. This is to avoid contamination; if possible the samples should be kept in different rooms. To examine the samples the examiner will first want to use microscopic analysis to perform testing on the mineral content. Another test that can be done to help try to identify the origin of the soil is a density test. The density test is called the density gradient tube. This test consists of adding liquid to two glass tubes. The liquid in both tubes is the same, but the rations are different. This represents two different densities. The soil sample is added to both liquid samples. After the soil samples become suspended in the liquid the separation of the bands can then be analyzed to reveal the profile of the soil. Heat tests can also be used to test the soils reaction and electron microscopes can be used to examine the structure of the minerals in the soil. During examination, an examiner might find that some soil samples may contain biological evidence such as saliva, semen or blood. If biological evidence is found in the sample the whole soil sample should be sent to the laboratory for testing.

Back to Crime Library

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Forensic Soil Analysis is the use of soil sciences and other disciplines to aid in criminal investigation. Soils are like fingerprints because every type of soil that exists has unique properties that act as identification markers. This means that the origin of the soil sample can be identified.

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JSmith

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New soil sample evidence has emerged to allegedly link prominent republican Colin Duffy to the murders of two soldiers, the High Court has heard.

Prosecutors claimed expert examination of a Mercedes car belonging to his co-accused, Brian Shivers, has established a further connection to the killings.

Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were shot dead at Massereene Army barracks in Antrim in March 2009.

Mr Duffy, who denies the murders, was again refused bail.

The 43-year-old, of Forest Glade, Lurgan, also pleaded not guilty to six counts of attempted murder and possession of firearms with intent in connection with the Real IRA ambush of soldiers collecting food from pizza delivery men.

Masked gunmen fired at least 60 rounds of ammunition at the victims before escaping in a waiting car.

Mr Shivers, 45, of Sperrin Mews, Magherafelt, denies the same charges.

The two men are due to stand trial later this year.

DNA evidence forms part of the prosecution case, with claims that Mr Duffy's profile matched the tip of a latex glove recovered from the partially burnt-out Vauxhall Cavalier getaway car.

Soil samples from a hold-all in the vehicle containing camouflage jackets, balaclavas and ammunition were also said to be similar to those found on a boot belonging to Mr Duffy.

Opposing the suspect's renewed application for bail, Crown counsel Tessa Kitson told the court on Friday that additional expert evidence was supplied last month.

She claimed that another sample of soil taken from Mr Shivers' Mercedes car has established a connection between it, the Vauxhall and the hold-all.

"The prosecution would say at this stage it is a further link between the applicant and the incident, and indeed between the applicant and his co-accused."

Mrs Kitson argued that a specific alleged role played by Mr Duffy did not have to be identified.

But defence barrister Mark Mulholland insisted the prosecution was unable to attribute a role to his client due to "the paucity of the evidence".

He also pointed out that the Crown no longer alleged that Mr Duffy was one of the gunmen, while two witnesses had failed to pick him out in identification processes.

But refusing bail, Mr Justice Deeny held that the nature of the alleged offences was relevant.

The judge said: "This was a successfully planned and ruthlessly executed terrorist attack, and the applicant is in the position that there is a prima facie case that he was actively involved or involved in some significant way in the joint enterprise."

He noted the allegation was of involvement in "the taking of human life for reasons it would appear connected to support for dissident republican beliefs".

Mr Justice Deeny added: "That dissident republican campaign continues, with a further tragic murder (Constable Ronan Kerr) in relatively recent months.

"Therefore one must infer that his release would carry a real risk of encouragement being given to that campaign, ie. the real risk of further offences."

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Soil evidence 'links Colin Duffy to sappers' murders'

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New soil sample evidence has emerged to allegedly link prominent republican Colin Duffy to the murders of two soldiers, the High Court has heard. Prosecutors claimed expert examination of a Mercedes car belonging to his co-accused, Brian Shivers, has established a further connection to the killings.

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renardobonner

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Table of Contents

soil, the biologically active, porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of Earth's crust. Soil is one of the principal substrata of life on Earth, serving as a reservoir of water and nutrients, as a medium for the filtration and breakdown of injurious wastes, and as a participant in the cycling of carbon and other elements through the global ecosystem. It has evolved through weathering processes driven by biological, climatic, geologic, and topographic influences.

Since the rise of agriculture and forestry in the 8th millennium bce, there has also arisen by necessity a practical awareness of soils and their management. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Industrial Revolution brought increasing pressure on soil to produce raw materials demanded by commerce, while the development of quantitative science offered new opportunities for improved soil management. The study of soil as a separate scientific discipline began about the same time with systematic investigations of substances that enhance plant growth. This initial inquiry has expanded to an understanding of soils as complex, dynamic, biogeochemical systems that are vital to the life cycles of terrestrial vegetation and soil-inhabiting organisms-and by extension to the human race as well.

This article covers the structure, interactive composition, and classification of soils and how these factors affect soil's role in the global ecosystem. In addition, the two most important phenomena that degrade soils, erosion and pollution, are discussed. For a cartographic guide to the distribution of the world's major soils, featuring links to short descriptive entries on each soil type, see the world map.

Soils differ widely in their properties because of geologic and climatic variation over distance and time. Even a simple property, such as the soil thickness, can range from a few centimetres to many metres, depending on the intensity and duration of weathering, episodes of soil deposition and erosion, and the patterns of landscape evolution. Nevertheless, in spite of this variability, soils have a unique structural characteristic that distinguishes them from mere earth materials and serves as a basis for their classification: a vertical sequence of layers produced by the combined actions of percolating waters and living organisms.

These layers are called horizons, and the full vertical sequence of horizons constitutes the soil profile (see the figure). Soil horizons are defined by features that reflect soil-forming processes. For instance, the uppermost soil layer (not including surface litter) is termed the A horizon. This is a weathered layer that contains an accumulation of humus (decomposed, dark-coloured, carbon-rich matter) and microbial biomass that is mixed with small-grained minerals to form aggregate structures.

Below A lies the B horizon. In mature soils this layer is characterized by an accumulation of clay (small particles less than 0.002 mm [0.00008 inch] in diameter) that has either been deposited out of percolating waters or precipitated by chemical processes involving dissolved products of weathering. Clay endows B horizons with an array of diverse structural features (blocks, columns, and prisms) formed from small clay particles that can be linked together in various configurations as the horizon evolves.

Below the A and B horizons is the C horizon, a zone of little or no humus accumulation or soil structure development. The C horizon often is composed of unconsolidated parent material from which the A and B horizons have formed. It lacks the characteristic features of the A and B horizons and may be either relatively unweathered or deeply weathered. At some depth below the A, B, and C horizons lies consolidated rock, which makes up the R horizon.

These simple letter designations are supplemented in two ways (see the table of soil horizon letter designations). First, two additional horizons are defined. Litter and decomposed organic matter (for example, plant and animal remains) that typically lie exposed on the land surface above the A horizon are given the designation O horizon, whereas the layer immediately below an A horizon that has been extensively leached (that is, slowly washed of certain contents by the action of percolating water) is given the separate designation E horizon, or zone of eluviation (from Latin ex, "out," and lavere, "to wash"). The development of E horizons is favoured by high rainfall and sandy parent material, two factors that help to ensure extensive water percolation. The solid particles lost through leaching are deposited in the B horizon, which then can be regarded as a zone of illuviation (from Latin il, "in," and lavere).
Soil horizon letter designations

Base symbols for surface horizons

O

organic horizon containing litter and decomposed organic matter

A

mineral horizon darkened by humus accumulation

Base symbols for subsurface horizons

E

mineral horizon lighter in colour than an A or O horizon and depleted in clay minerals

AB or EB

transitional horizon more like A or E than B

BA or BE

transitional horizon more like B than A or E

B

accumulated clay and humus below the A or E horizon

BC or CB

transitional horizon from B to C

C

unconsolidated earth material below the A or B horizon

Suffixes added for special features of horizons

a

highly decomposed organic matter

c

concretions or hard nodules (iron, aluminum, manganese, or titanium)

e

organic matter of intermediate decomposition

g

gray colour with strong mottling and poor drainage

h

accumulation of organic matter

i

slightly decomposed organic matter

k

accumulation of carbonate

m

cementation or induration

n

accumulation of sodium

o

accumulation of oxides of iron and aluminum

p

plowing or other anthropogenic disturbance

q

accumulation of silica

r

weathered or soft bedrock

s

accumulation of metal oxides and organic matter

v

plinthite (hard iron-enriched subsoil material)

w

development of colour or structure

x

fragipan character (high-density, brittle)

y

accumulation of gypsum

z

accumulation of salts

The combined A, E, B horizon sequence is called the solum (Latin: "floor"). The solum is the true seat of soil-forming processes and is the principal habitat for soil organisms. (Transitional layers, having intermediate properties, are designated with the two letters of the adjacent horizons.)

The second enhancement to soil horizon nomenclature (also shown in the table) is the use of lowercase suffixes to designate special features that are important to soil development. The most common of these suffixes are applied to B horizons: g to denote mottling caused by waterlogging, h to denote the illuvial accumulation of humus, k to denote carbonate mineral precipitates, o to denote residual metal oxides, s to denote the illuvial accumulation of metal oxides and humus, and t to denote the accumulation of clay.

Pedons and polypedons

Soils are natural elements of weathered landscapes whose properties may vary spatially. For scientific study, however, it is useful to think of soils as unions of modules known as pedons. A pedon is the smallest element of landscape that can be called soil. Its depth limit is the somewhat arbitrary boundary between soil and "not soil" (e.g., bedrock). Its lateral dimensions must be large enough to permit a study of any horizons present-in general, an area from 1 to 10 square metres (10 to 100 square feet), taking into account that a horizon may be variable in thickness or even discontinuous. Wherever horizons are cyclic and recur at intervals of 2 to 7 metres (7 to 23 feet), the pedon includes one-half the cycle. Thus, each pedon includes the range of horizon variability that occurs within small areas. Wherever the cycle is less than 2 metres, or wherever all horizons are continuous and of uniform thickness, the pedon has an area of 1 square metre.

Soils are encountered on the landscape as groups of similar pedons, called polypedons, that contain sufficient area to qualify as a taxonomic unit. Polypedons are bounded from below by "not soil" and laterally by pedons of dissimilar characteristics.

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Soil | Definition, Importance, Types, Erosion, Composition, & Facts

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Soil, the biologically active, porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of Earth's crust. It is one of the principal substrata of life on Earth, serving as a reservoir of water and nutrients, as a medium for the filtration and breakdown of wastes, and as a participant in the cycling of elements.

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renardobonner

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SOIL PACKAGING Packaging and recycling are important to us, so we hope you consider skipping the plastic and choosing the 1 cubic yard tote bags that we clean and reuse! 1 Cubic Yard Bulk Bag Totes Our custom bulk bag tote is our most popular soil vessel. It is filled with 27 cu ft of soil.

Organic Soil Packaging – Paonia Soil Co.

paoniasoilco.com/learn/soil-packaging

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Four Soil Collection Methods That Actually Work

01 Hand Sampling.

02 Hydraulic Probes. Numerous components – engine, hydraulics (tank, pump & lines), probe, etc.

03 Electric Probes.

04 Auger Probes. When collecting your soil samples, the goal is to get the best results, and the key to that is...

More ...

Four Soil Collection Methods That Actually Work - Growers

growers.ag/blog/4-soil-collection-methods-that-actually-work/

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Soil Databases – Africa Soil Information Service

africasoils.net/services/data/soil-databases/

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Crimes That Were Solved in Unexpected Ways - Insider

https://www.insider.com/crimes-twists-history-2018-2