ARCS2003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Soil Ph, Trocar, Scapula
30 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Study of laws of burial: developed in palaeontology to explain how and why extinct animals became fossilised and preserved. Study of processes affecting decomposition, dispersal, erosion, burial and re-exposure of organisms after, at and even before death. Covers these processes: thermal, pressure, biological degradation, chemical reactions, corrosion reactions. Sorption and de-sorption: turbation and mixing processes, abrasion and physical damage. "forensic taphonomy" examines processes that have altered the evidence under medico- legal investigation: two branches: bio-taphonomy and geo-taphonomy. Week 5 lecture: processes cause sampling bias or differential preservation of some species, individuals or body parts over others, remains studied should be viewed as portion of the information originally available. Sequence of disarticulation: disarticulation sequence depends on the strength of individual joints and the mount of associated connective tissue e. g. cranial sutures vs freely moving limb joints. Sequence proceeds from head down and from centre of body outwards.
