Characteristics of Soil
In forensics, soil characteristics are classified into two major categories: physical characteristics and chemical composition characteristics. The physical characteristics are the soil’s visible features: soil colour, texture, structure, porosity, density, and more. The chemical characteristics of the soil include soil pH, heavy metal concentration, total carbon in soil, magnesium, calcium, potassium, hydrogen content, and more (Girard, 2011). The chemical characteristics of soils cannot be seen physically, but they are known after laboratory tests to determine which chemical composition the soil sample has.
Investigators in a crime scene usually collect so many samples as evidence at the crime scene. Soil is among the many samples collected at the crime scene. Where the investigators analyze the soil sample to unearth more evidence that could reveal the truth about what happened. The soil sample collection at a crime scene is not just collected anyhow (Girard, 2011). Still, there is a systematic process the investigators need to follow to get credible samples that would likely give the required information. The procedure for collecting soil samples at a crime scene is as follows:
First, the investigator should photograph the sample in situ before collecting it. Photographing in situ means photographing on-site. Secondly, a unique sample identifier must be assigned to each source by using the indelible marker. The investigator should record the descriptive and contextual details of the source in the book (Girard, 2011). When collecting the soil, the investigator should collect the topmost layer of the soil because it is the layer that might have the evidence. When collecting the soil samples, the investigators should use clean stainless steel tools and containers or strong disposable plastics with lids.
Certain types of containers are not appropriate for storing soil samples because they can contaminate the samples. While collecting the soil, the investigators should collect soils in order of increasing depth to avoid mixing. This means that the top layer of soil should be put in a different container with the soil underneath the layers (Girard, 2011). The samples should be a minimum of a tablespoon for each sample, and enough soil samples should be collected to enhance many potential complementary laboratory analyses. The containers of the soil samples should be tightly closed to avoid air and water entering.
References
Girard, J. (2011). Criminalistics, Forensic science, crime and terrorism. Jones & Bartlett Learning LLC.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
Characteristics of Soil
Describe the individual characteristics of the soil. When an investigator is at a crime scene, what is the proper technique to collect soil samples?
Criminalistics: Forensic Science, Crime, and Terrorism
James E. Girard, 2017
Jones & Bartlett Learning
ISBN.13: 978-1-284-14261-7