Stellate Fracture
Definition
A set of radial cracks extending outward from the main gunshot defect, produced by compressed propellant gas pressure radiating under the scalp in a contact-range shot; distinct from blunt-force radiating fractures in that they originate at the outer table, not the inner table.
- Pattern
- Radial cracks from the main gunshot defect
- Cause
- Compressed propellant gas under the scalp, contact range
- Origin point
- Outer table of the skull
- Distinguished from
- Blunt-force radiating fractures, which originate at the inner table
Common questions
Why does the origin point matter for telling a gunshot stellate fracture from a blunt-force fracture?+
Gas pressure from a contact gunshot acts on the scalp and outer skull surface first, so the cracks propagate outward from the outer table, whereas a blunt impact drives force through the bone from outside in, so its radiating fractures typically originate at the inner table where bending stress is highest.
Does a stellate fracture by itself confirm the range of fire?+
It strongly supports a contact or near-contact range because it depends on gas pressure reaching the bone surface, but the finding should still be correlated with soot deposition, muzzle stamp, and wound margin findings before range is concluded.
Related terms
- Bearing Surface Diameter
- The diameter of the projectile face in contact with the bone surface at the moment of impact; smaller than the resulting defect...
- Contact Wound
- A firearm wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or within a few centimetres of the target surface. Characterised by a...
- External Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an exit gunshot wound in bone: the inner table diameter (entry face of the defect) is smaller...
- GSR (Gunshot Residue)
- Primer-combustion products (classically lead-barium-antimony compounds, now also non-lead formulations) deposited on the bone surface at close or contact range; detected by SEM-EDX...
- Internal Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an entrance gunshot wound in bone: the outer table diameter (entry face) is smaller than the inner...
- Keyhole Defect
- An asymmetric gunshot defect produced by a projectile striking bone at a shallow angle; one end shows a conventional beveled entry geometry...
- Puppe's Rule
- The 1994 formalisation of the principle that radial fractures from a subsequent gunshot terminate at fracture lines already produced by a prior...
- Secondary Projectile
- A bone fragment or other material driven at high velocity through adjacent tissue by the primary projectile's passage through bone; produces irregular,...
- Trajectory Reconstruction
- The forensic procedure that integrates the osteological bevel direction, angle-of-impact estimate, and the physical scene evidence to reconstruct the relative positions of...