Comparative mineralogy
Definition
The systematic comparison of mineral assemblages from a questioned sample and a reference sample to assess whether they share the same geographic origin. The comparison is never a simple match or no-match: it is a matter of how distinctive the shared composition is.
Related terms
- Forensic geology
- The application of geological sciences to legal and investigative problems, treating earth materials such as soil, rock, mineral, sediment, and dust as...
- Geo-provenance
- The determination of geographic origin of a geological material based on its physical, mineralogical, or geochemical characteristics. The same concept that geologists...
- Heavy-mineral suite
- The assemblage of high-specific-gravity minerals (greater than about 2.85 g/cm3) present in a sediment sample, typically including zircon, tourmaline, garnet, and hornblende....
- Polarised light microscopy (PLM)
- A microscopy technique in which polarised light is passed through a thin section or grain mount, revealing optical properties (birefringence, extinction angle,...
- Trace evidence
- Small quantities of material transferred between people, objects, and locations during contact. Forensic geology focuses on the geological subset of trace evidence:...
Explained in
- History and Pioneers of Forensic GeologyThe systematic comparison of mineral assemblages from a questioned sample and a reference sample to assess whether they share the same geographic origin. The c...