lastic

arbonate
edimentology

nvestigation

Jon Noad
Senior Palaeontologist,
Stantec Consulting;
University of Adelaide
LEEDS
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
LEEDS, WE HAVE A CRIME SCENE…….
 Briefing
• Shows involving homicides and
associated Crime Scene Investigation
(CSI) are hugely popular
• Involves careful analysis of data from the
crime scene – the public have become
expert at the techniques used
• Many similarities to sedimentology,
which uses diverse data to build up a
picture of the depositional setting:
• Grain size, sedimentary structures and bed
thicknesses, sediment colour and
composition, provenance, context
• Palaeontology to identify the victims and
cause of death; trace fossils to reconstruct
the crime scene
• Stratigraphy to ID time of death
• Huge potential to learn from these
complimentary sciences
 Workflows
CSI SEDS
• Evidence collection (and storage) • Record data – data collection
unit • Logged sections, rock samples,
• Lift fingerprints, collect hair and thin sections, photographs,
fibres, other evidence geochemistry
• Photography of crime scene, all
evidence, victim if present • Sedimentology – physical data
• Secure place for storing evidence • Grain size, sorting, composition
and diagenesis, colour
• Physical forensics • Sedimentary structures and
• Trace evidence (hair, fibre paint, palaeocurrents
glass, soil) • Sedimentary architecture
• Firearms and Document examination
• Fingerprint examined • Victim, other fossils - biological
• Palaeontology,
• Biological forensics • Ichnology - trace evidence
• Victim (skeleton, teeth, blood), • Other plant and animal remains
drugs, poison, bite marks, insects,
plants & psychology
• Use of analogues
In the Toolbox – Criminologist and Sedimentologist
• Crime scene tape
• Camera, video
• Sketchpad and pens
• Protective clothing
• Flashlight, UV light, laser,
infrared
• Magnifying glass, tweezers
• Evidence bags
• Fingerprint supplies
• Casting kit
• Serology kit
• Entomology kit
• Hazmat kit
 Back at the Lab
CSI SEDS
• Fingerprint analysis • Thin sections
• Tool mark and impression • Grain size, sorting,
analysis composition
• Blood analysis • Tool marks
• Sedimentary – grooves, flutes
• DNA analysis
• Biological – bite marks,
• Toxicology testing scratches
• Trace evidence evaluation • Geochemistry
• Firearms examination • Identification of associated
fossils and trace fossils
• Age of sediment
• Depositional setting

Tool mark - safe

Directional structures
Drag mark
Handling the Evidence

Gameinspireddesign.wordpress.com
 Processing the Body
• Perform an autopsy
• Measure height and weight
• Photographs taken
• Determine cause of death
• Natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal,
undetermined
• Examine injuries
• Time and manner of death
The Conversation
• Trace evidence, toxicology
• Unidentified victims, look for..
• Artefacts, scars, tattoos, disease
• Fingerprints, dental records NatGeo TV

• Skeletons
• Age, stature, sex, race (unreliable at
best), individual characteristics Seek more fossils with organs
• Reconstruct faces preserved
Apply facial reconstruction techniques
Revisit skeletal analysis
More work on manners of death
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
VICTIM BEHEADED – SKELETON SEPARATED, VICTIM: JOHN/JANE DINO
CAUSE OF DEATH (COD): UNKNOWN
 Time of Death (TOD)
• Estimated, legal or physiological
• Body temperature
• Rigor mortis and lividity
• Rate of decay (we will NOT go
into detail)
• Fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced
decay, dry remains
• Insect life cycle Nature

Directly apply decay

data to see how long
before fossils buried
Possible fossil insects to
Insect life cycle – forensic entomology analyze
Use of modern mass
deaths to understand
Wildebeest, Masai Mara (Smithsonian) mortality assemblages
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
VICTIM: JOHN/JANE DINO
TIME OF DEATH (TOD): 75.94 MYA - BASED ON ASSOCIATED OYSTER BED
 Fingerprints
• Finger pads with friction ridges
• Classification by Purkinje: 1823
• Faulds suggests use for ID and for
identifying criminals: 1880
• Jennings first conviction for
murder using prints: 1910
• Patent (substance); Plastic
www.science.org
(pressed into soft material) and
Latent prints (invisible)
• Ideally hard, smooth surfaces
• Use Super Glue vapour

Potential to use for dinosaur

skin impressions
Use super glue to capture
delicate traces
Digital clean up techniques
far advanced cf. seds EurekAlert!
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
VICTIM: JOHN/JANE DINO
FINGERPRINTS (SKIN IMPRESSION): VERY YOUNG DINOSAUR
 Bloodstains – use with caution
• Shape and location provide
directionality
• Oozing, gushing and dripping –
then clotting
• Elongated ovals when falling from
narrow angle Scientistwhodraws.com

• Look for point of convergence

(2D) and point of origin (3D)
• Velocity of spatter – bullet vs.
blunt object vs. dripping
• Transfer patterns
• Can also use for DNA (not
discussed further here)

Use of convergence points can

be applied to physical and
biological traces Physicsworld.com
Velocity of flow and groove
and flute elongation; raindrops Low velocity (reddit.com)
 Impressions: Footprints, Tyre Tracks, Tool Marks
• Trace data is extremely important
• Footprints:
• Usually class evidence but gait may be
unique (footprints, wear pattern)
• Can demonstrate behaviour, psyche Shoeprint cast (amazon.com)

• Patent, plastic or latent

• Depth and size provide more data
• Tyre tracks:
• Speed of movement (flow in seds)
• Texture and wear bars for ID
• Size and make of car (class evidence)
• Tool marks
• Indentation, sliding, cutting marks
• Can match tools to evidence
• Traces may be preserved in fabric,
leather, other materials Spray lacquer in soft mud prior to casting
Snowprint wax for snow prints
Angled light for carpet impressions
Much better databases and search tools
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
VICTIM: JOHN/JANE DINO
IMPRESSIONS: SMEARED MUDCLAST BED WITH BONES (ARROWED)
 Arson – lessons learned
• Two questions:
• Point of origin
• Cause of fire
• Need fuel, oxygen, heat
Canada Foundation
• Analysis of wood and impact on for Innovation
structural materials (metal, etc.) GC (Technology networks)
• Match heads contain diatoms,
so can be discerned after a fire
• Compounds identified by gas
chromatography (GC) or mass
spectroscopy (MS)
Hylonomus
Joggins (kgov.com) Petrified Forest

Can apply techniques to fossil forest fires –

possible amount of heat generated
Work out how ancient forest fires spread
Apply GC and MS techniques to fossil wood
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
VICTIM: JOHN/JANE DINO
ARSON: NO FOREST FIRE
 Summary
• We have only scratched the
surface today
• Clearly forensic techniques are
remarkably similar to
sedimentological methodology
• Much to learn from forensic
science – and forensics can learn
from us too
• I am waiting patiently for the
new series “CSI: Sedimentology” Struggle between Velociraptor and Protoceratops,
Mongolia (Black Hills Institute)

Columbia
University
BSRG CASE FILES: LDS2024
VICTIM: CENTROSAURUS (JUVENILE)
INTERPRETED CAUSE OF DEATH: DROWNING BY FLOOD
THANK YOU!

MATS University
 Examples – not real blood
Series of drops at same
point, low velocity

Spatter blanked due

Hand drag to item, high velocity

Low velocity, Footprint

moving source transfer

Porous media

Medium velocity Isolated drops, Spray – high velocity

(hammer) low velocity

Overhead swing

Arterial spatter on wall

dripping down – low velocity

Victim in one
spot, pooling Wipe pattern

Abaco University
 What happens at a crime scene
• Detain person who reported the crime
• Protect the evidence
• Make personal safety a priority
• Determine boundaries of scene and limit access (may be more than one scene)
• Establish security log and document everything
• Take photos of scene ASAP and use a scale
• Reconstruct the crime scene – hypothesizing
• Use the evidence – shoe prints, fingerprints, tool marks, blood spatters, angle of
blows, etc., positions of victim and assailant/s, physical changes in corpse
• Keep testing theory against the evidence
• Recognize a staged crime scene
 Evidence
Classify evidence
• Direct or circumstantial
• Physical (inorganic) versus biological (organic)
• Reconstructive evidence – can be used to reconstruct what happened
• Class (e.g. type of fibre) versus individual (e.g. fingerprint) evidence

Analysis of evidence
• Comparisons
• Linkage using evidence (this scene and possibly multiple crime scenes)
• Try to locate all evidence e.g. murder weapon, may be elsewhere

• Search and gather evidence, grid surveys

• Find a missing body – look downhill, variations in terrain, changes in vegetation,
byproducts of decay, GPR, use dogs
 Weather
• Weather at crime scene or during deposition
• Traces:
• Rain drops
• Saturation
• Eroded channels
• Debris including possessions
• Contribution to death
• Lightning (fulgurites)
• Drowning – evidence of rapid flow, debrites
• Freeze to death