senario: murder mystry???

SENARIO: MURDER MYSTRY???

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE DEATH OF THE MAN?

17 September 2021

School of Geosciences

Dr. N.MadlakanaMrs. M.A.Molekwa

SENARIO: MURDER MYSTRY???

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE DEATH OF THE MAN?

USING GEOLOGY (STRATIGRAPHY) AS A THANATOLOGY TOOL!!

Thanatology → is the scientific study of death and the losses brought about as a result

Geology → the science which deals with the physical structure and substance of the

earth, their history, and the processes which act on them.

MURDER INVESTIGATION: GEOLOGY

STEPS TO FOLLOW: USING GEOLOGY AS THE TOOL OF MURDER INVESTIGATION

1. FIELD VISIT 2. GATHER THE GEOLOGY OF THE AREA *Collection of existinggeological Maps of

the Area

(https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/careers-guide/geologist)

https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/careers-guide/geologist



2. GATHER THE GEOLOGY OF THE AREA *Collection of existing Maps of the area



2. GATHER THE GEOLOGY OF THE AREA *Collection of existing stratigraphic column

Stratigraphic column → a representation used in geology

and its subfield of stratigraphy to describe the vertical location of rock units in a particular area

(Gumsley, 2017; Sheardown and Donev, 2019)



3. SAMPLE COLLECTION



4. SAMPLE PREPARATION

Rock crushing, sieving and

powdering

• Heavy duty hydraulic rock splitter

• Jaw crusher

• Swing mills

• Automatic sieve

Mineral Separation

• Heavy duty hydraulic rock splitter

• Jaw crusher

• Swing mills

• Automatic sieve

Polished sections

• Microtome diamond saw

• Large cut-off diamond saw

• Automated polishing laps

https://www.wits.ac.za/geosciences/research/economic-geology-research-institute/analytical-facilities/



5. SAMPLES READY FOR ANALYSIS

(Molekwa, 2017; https://www.wits.ac.za/clinicalmed/life-sciences-imaging-facility/ )

https://www.wits.ac.za/clinicalmed/life-sciences-imaging-facility/



6. RESULTS


***CREATING A SENARIO WHERE THE RESULTS STATED THAT THE ROCK SAMPLE WAS A

DOLOMITE/DOLOSTONE

• WHAT IS A DOLOMITE/DOLOSTONE?

a sedimentary carbonate rock composed mostly of the mineral

dolomite.

Made carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium

carbonate, ideally CaMg(CO₃)₂. • Dolomite is closely related to Limestone.

• Limestone is a calcium carbonate whereas dolomite is made of calcium magnesium carbonate.


CREATING A SENARIO WHERE THE RESULTS STATED THAT THE ROCK SAMPLE IS A

DOLOMITE/DOLOSTONE

HOW CAN WE CONFIRM THAT WE HAVE DOLOMITE AND NOT

LIMESTONE???

TIMA


*TIMA RESULTS*

Limestone Dolomite


POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

WHAT COULD BE THE CAUSE OF

THE DEATH?

Could the house be built on top of DOLOMITE?

If DOLOMITE was indeed the cause of death

Mechanical?? Chemical??


*POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

• Geological analysis and TIMA analysis

→confirmed that the house is built on

top of a dolomite

Murder Mystery is not complete


*POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

• WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT DOLOMITE THAT COULD RESULT IN

DEATH?

Damage to structures and loss of life have been more

severe on dolomite than on any other geological

formation in southern Africa.

**Mechanical**

**Chemical**

Dolomite serves as a host rock for many lead, zinc and

copper deposits

Dolomite may be contaminated with heavy metal toxins

like aluminum, arsenic, lead, nickel and mercury


*POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

• WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT DOLOMITE THAT COULD RESULT IN DEATH?

**Mechanical**

Dolomite is prone to sinkholes and subsidence

*Sinkhole→ a cavity in the ground, caused by water erosion and

providing a route for surface water to disappear underground

*Subsidence→ is an enclosed depression, which forms as a result

of the compression at depth of low-

density dolomite residuum.

(Council for Geoscience, 2011)


*POSSIBLE OUTCOMES



SINKHOLES

Easy weathering/ dissolution of dolomite

Pipeline leakage

Dewatering subsidence


*POSSIBLE OUTCOMES


SINKHOLES


*POSSIBLE OUTCOMES


**Chemical**

Exposure to extra magnesium and calcium can harm people with

kidney diseases

Dolomite serves as a host rock for many lead, zinc and copper deposits

These deposits form when hot, acidic hydrothermal solutions move

upward from depth through a fracture system that encounters a

dolomitic rock unit.

These solutions reacts with dolomites which causes a drop in pH that

triggers the precipitation of metals from the solution

senario: murder mystry???

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