Magnetic measurements as a forensic geology tool: A review

Forensic geology makes use of analyses of mineral, rock fragment, soil, sediment, and suspended solid samples collected from incident, accident, and crime scenes as evidence. This paper discusses magnetic measurements as an analytical tool for analyzing evidence. Compared with traditional chemical methods, magnetic measurements are a quick, non-destructive, and effective tool that can detect grain size, quantity, and types of magnetic minerals in evidence and control samples. Magnetic measurements for forensic geology are an applied technique based on methods from rock magnetism, environmental magnetism, and archaeological magnetism. Here, we report magnetic data from disturbed and burned soils, and discuss load sediments and how to detect the origins of suspended solids. To develop applications for magnetic measurements in forensic geology, it is important to elucidate the alteration rate of magnetic minerals by rainfall in soil in Japan. The construction of a soil database that covers a large area, and the use new measurement techniques, which can detect very weak magnetization in soil and sediment samples, are needed to fully develop magnetic measurements as a robust tool for forensic geology.