Applications of cathodoluminescence in forensic geology

Palenik, C.S. and Buscaglia, J. (2005) Keynote talk: Applications of cathodoluminescence in forensic geology. Goldschmidt Conference (Moscow, ID).

Presented on: 6/1/2005

Cathodoluminescence (CL) can be observed in many materials encountered in the forensic analysis of trace evidence including: soils, sand, dust, brick, concrete, slag, glass coatings and paint. In many cases, the major components of these heterogeneous materials are minerals such as quartz, feldspars and carbonates. Traditionally these minerals have been difficult to use for forensic discrimination or sourcing information due to their presence in nearly all samples. However, the variation of CL in a given mineral as a function of the source environment and subsequent sample history provides a new prospect for improving the value of mineralogical evidence, particularly for the some of the most commonly occurring minerals.

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