CRC Press Soil Analysis in Forensic Taphonomy - Academic Book

A burial environment functions as a complex and dynamic system. It hosts many interdependent chemical, physical, and biological processes that change when a body is included and begins to decay. While taphonomy is a growing forensic tool, most research has historically focused on the cadaver itself rather than the grave environment. Soil Analysis in Forensic Taphonomy: Chemical and Biological Effects of Buried Human Remains changes this focus. This book is the first to concentrate entirely on how soil and its various components impact the postmortem fate of remains. It provides a necessary look at the grave as a host to significant chemical and biological shifts. This text is an essential resource for those studying the effects of the burial site on decomposition. By shifting the perspective from the body to the soil, it offers a new way to understand the postmortem process within a forensic context.