9:30 AM - 9:55 AM
[MGI31-02] A Global Review of Forensic Geology and Crimes Associated with the Exploration, Mining and Trading of Minerals and Metals
★Invited Papers
Keywords:IUGS-IFG, Forensic Geology, Mining, minerals and metals crimes, Geological trace evidence, Crime scene examination, Ground search
The applications of geology to policing and law enforcement has advanced and developed significantly over the past 25 years. This, in part, can be attributed to the establishment of international organisations such as the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), Initiative on Forensic Geology (IFG). This paper reviews the global advancements in forensic geology with a particular emphasis on the contributions from Japan. Numerous forensic geology meetings, conferences have been held in Japan attracting international delegates and special, distinguished guest speakers from around the world. This has involved collaboration with the Japanese Society of Geo-Pollution Science, Medical Geology and Urban Geology, the Japanese Association of Forensic Science and Technology, INTERPOL, the Geological Society of Japan and the National Research Institute of Police Science, Japan. The challenges in forensic geology are also presented along with possible solutions to ensure there is a transition for the next generation of forensic geologists and geoscientists. This paper also draws attention to the seemingly growing problem of crimes that take place in the minerals, mining and metals industries, notably; substitution, adulteration, theft, smuggling, fakery and fraud. Geological methods and techniques are presented that are adaptable and adoptable to assist law enforcement and commercial organisations in the tracking, trading and provenance determination (also known as predictive geolocation) of valuable geological cargo and commodities such as ore, mineral concentrates, refinery and smelter products, precious metal bullion, diamonds, gemstones and fossils.