SandinForensicGeology.pptVIP

Characterizing Properties of Sand Remember that sand is actually a size of sediment Characterizing Properties of Sand Composition Particle size distribution Surface Texture Roundness and Sphericity Characterizing Properties of Sand Composition While sand typically is made up of Quartz (SiO2) it can in fact be composed of almost any mineral or combination of minerals or even sand sized fragments of rocks Characterizing Properties of Sand Particle Size and Distribution The source rock and weathering and transportation history of a sand usually results in a particle size distribution that can be characteristic of a sample Characterizing Properties of Sand Surface Texture The surface of a sand grain can vary between being smooth to frosted ? Smooth surface indicates chemical reaction ? Frosted surface indicates wind action Characterizing Properties of Sand Roundness and Sphericity Characterizing Properties of Sand Roundness and Sphericity Sand is ubiquitous. It makes up most beach and river deposits Sand is concentrated by selective transport Sand is left at beaches as the finer clay particles are washed out to sea A medium sized river takes about a million years to transport a sand grain 100 miles downstream Characterizing Properties of Sand Roundness and Sphericity Examples of the Use of Sand in Forensic Investigations 1. The Balloons of War In the fall of 1944 reports of enemy unmanned balloons carrying fire bombs began to come in from the west coast While they were thought to be of Japanese origin, how they were delivered was unclear Bags of sand used for ballast were recovered in some locations Forensic geologists examined the sand and concluded that it was beach sand from Japan 1. The Balloons of War Because no coral was found in the sand it was thought that the location of the beach had to be in the northern 2/3 of Japan The lack of granite ruled out much of northern Japan The volcanic mineralogy and microfossils allowed