TY - JOUR
T1 - Time-lapse geophysical investigations over a simulated urban clandestine grave
AU - Pringle, Jamie K.
AU - Jervis, John
AU - Cassella, John P.
AU - Cassidy, Nigel J.
PY - 2008/11
Y1 - 2008/11
N2 - A simulated clandestine shallow grave was created within a heterogeneous, made-ground, urban environment where a clothed, plastic resin, human skeleton, animal products, and physiological saline were placed in anatomically correct positions and re-covered to ground level. A series of repeat (time-lapse), near-surface geophysical surveys were undertaken: (1) prior to burial (to act as control), (2) 1 month, and (3) 3 months post-burial. A range of different geophysical techniques was employed including: bulk ground resistivity and conductivity, fluxgate gradiometry and high-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR), soil magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and self potential (SP). Bulk ground resistivity and SP proved optimal for initial grave location whilst ERT profiles and GPR horizontal "time-slices" showed the best spatial resolutions. Research suggests that in complex urban made-ground environments, initial resistivity surveys be collected before GPR and ERT follow-up surveys are collected over the identified geophysical anomalies.
AB - A simulated clandestine shallow grave was created within a heterogeneous, made-ground, urban environment where a clothed, plastic resin, human skeleton, animal products, and physiological saline were placed in anatomically correct positions and re-covered to ground level. A series of repeat (time-lapse), near-surface geophysical surveys were undertaken: (1) prior to burial (to act as control), (2) 1 month, and (3) 3 months post-burial. A range of different geophysical techniques was employed including: bulk ground resistivity and conductivity, fluxgate gradiometry and high-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR), soil magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and self potential (SP). Bulk ground resistivity and SP proved optimal for initial grave location whilst ERT profiles and GPR horizontal "time-slices" showed the best spatial resolutions. Research suggests that in complex urban made-ground environments, initial resistivity surveys be collected before GPR and ERT follow-up surveys are collected over the identified geophysical anomalies.
KW - Clandestine grave
KW - Forensic geophysics
KW - Forensic science
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=54949130562&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00884.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00884.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 18808369
AN - SCOPUS:54949130562
SN - 0022-1198
VL - 53
SP - 1405
EP - 1416
JO - Journal of Forensic Sciences
JF - Journal of Forensic Sciences
IS - 6
ER -