Recent trend of forensic geology in the world

Abstract

The development of forensic geology has been remarkable throughout the twenty-first century, although the demands and roles of forensic geology differ from nation to nation. This review describes recent global developments in forensic geology, with a focus on soil as trace evidence. Existing reviews of forensic geology have been published in English language books and academic journals, which are less familiar to the readers of the Journal of the Geological Society of Japan. This paper is written as an introduction to the global status of this field, and refers to previously published reviews and adds new information. It includes the establishment of an international network, academic meetings, publication trends, education and practice, overviews of situations around the world, and note-worthy study areas and case reports for soil as forensic evidence.