Forensic Micropaleontology

This course is for any professional with an interest in crime solving or archaeology interpretation. However, this course deals with a lot of natural sciences concepts. Knowing the basics of botany, ecology, citology and zoology is an advantage for comprehensive understanding. Similarly, fundamentals of geology and stratigraphy are frequently used during lectures.

1. Microfossils in geographical space and geological time: evidence of ubiquity.
2. Comparative analysis and evaluation of micropaleontological, archaeological, and criminological constraints, methods and studies contexts.
3. Synthetic review of the sampling, extraction and analytical processes.
4. Panorama of how microfossils apply to archaeology and crime solving, based on theoretical point of view and practical experiences (case studies).

This part focusses on a systematic description of the most important microscopic biological groups and structures that can be encountered in samples. They are shortly and clearly presented following the last biological classification. Their distributions in natural sites are specified (ecology, stratigraphy).

For each microfossil group, key applications are presented through recognized published case studies. Each case study is precisely described in order to enhance the potential applications in other situations and/or environments.   

This short course is a 1-day course. 

Edmond Locard (1877-1966) in his first criminalistics laboratory in Lyon (1910)

Locard’s Exchange Principle original text

Selection of microscopic bio-elements that can be used as pieces of archaeological and/or criminological evidence:

• Foraminifers & Ostracods,
• Calcareous nannoplankton,
• Radiolarias & Diatoms,
• Continental Palynomorphs,
• Dinoflagellates,
• Carophytes,
• Yeast grains,
• Phytoliths,
• Micro-bio-facies,
• Micro-teeth & other groups…

Selected list of presented case studies with their bio-microscopic evidence

• The Magdeburg crimes against humanity evidenced by palynology. Germany (1953)
• The Aphrodite statue robbery (P.Getty Museum, L.A.) solved with micro-facies nannoplankton, and palynomorphs.
• 1st palynological evidence of the timing of a murder, in Sweden court (1959)
• The Kenneth Young kidnapping, solved with diatoms in California, (1967)
• World War II balloon bombing over Eastern USA. (Diatoms, foraminifera)
• Homicides of H.Well & J.Chapman, Great Britain, 2002, (calcareous nannoplankton)

Lectures can be performed in French, English and Portuguese.

As a former geologist with Total, Christian has more than 30 years of experience in the Oil industry. His interest for Forensic Sciences started as early as 1983 when, as a micro-paleontologist he met A. Peabody (a well-known Scotland Yard Diatoms specialist who used these algae as a qualitative tool for drowning diagnosis).

This synthetic Short Course was initially prepared in 2016 for the Cordoba University in Argentina. It is still under development through incorporation of new material.