Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY
Volume 45, Issue 4, Pages 576-585Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00254-003-0913-z
Keywords
human decomposition; cemetery; adipocere; grave soils; exhumation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In-soil human decomposition is comprehensively described in terms of the physico-chemical and bacterial environmental conditions. Much of the understanding comes from considerations of cemetery studies and experimentation with adipocere. The understandings are relevant for further studies in cemetery management, exhumations, forensic investigations and anthropology. In the soil, cadavers are subject to various sets of decomposition processes principally resulting from aerobic (usually the initial) or anaerobic (usually the sustaining) conditions. The presence of percolating groundwater and microorganisms further affects the rate of breakdown and fate of the products. The major human tissue components-protein, carbohydrate, fat and bone, are discussed; and the likely pathways of decomposition products enumerated. The effects of liquefaction, availability of oxygen and other in-grave processes are considered.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available