title: Micromorphological and ultramicroscopic aspects of buried remains: Time-dependent markers of decomposition and permanence in soil in experimental burial.
abstract: A buried body not only determines an environmental response at the deposition site but it is also affected by the soil. The experiment was performed using eleven swine carcasses buried in an open site (Northern Italy). Changes occurring in bone tissue at different post-burial intervals were evaluated observing thin sections of bones through micromorphological and ultramicroscopic (SEM-EDS) techniques. These methods allowed the identification of: (a) magnesium phosphate (Mg3(PO4)2) crystallizations, probably linked to decomposition of bones and soft tissues; (b) significant sulphur levels which seem to be related to hydrogen sulphide (H2S) fixation in bone tissue; (c) metal oxide concentrations in the form of unusual violet-blue colorations, which probably are evidence of the soil's action and penetration in bones, also testified by (d) the presence of mineral grains enclosed in the osseous tissue. The results underline the possibility of identifying both time-dependent markers of decomposition and indicators of permanence in soil in buried bones.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 34, I-20133 Milano, Italy; LABANOF Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense, DMU, Sezione di Medicina Legale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 37, I-20133 Milano, Italy. Electronic address: sara.zangarini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zangarini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 34, I-20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trombino
authors.affiliation: LABANOF Laboratorio di Antropologia e Odontologia Forense, DMU, Sezione di Medicina Legale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 37, I-20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002048:Burial; D017608:Chromium Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D003460:Crystallization; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000032:analysis; D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009532:Nickel / Q000032:analysis; D010710:Phosphates; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012987:Soil; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013461:Sulfur Oxides / Q000032:analysis; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017608:Chromium Compounds; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; D012987:Soil; D013461:Sulfur Oxides; C000499:ferric oxide; C030781:magnesium phosphate; D009532:Nickel; C028007:nickel monoxide; C011118:sulfur trioxide; C023600:chromic oxide; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide
keywords: Clandestine graves; Decomposition phenomena; Forensic geopedology; Forensic science; PBI determination; Vivianite markers