Earth Material as Supporting Tool in Legal Case Investigation and the Role of Geoscientist in Disclosing the Criminal

Forensic geology is defined as the application of earth science in the field of law (Munroe, 2002). Forensic geology to date still sounds foreign, especially in Indonesia. Whereas the application of forensic geology can be a reinforcement tool in law enforcement processes. The background of the use of earth’s material as an instrument of investigation is the variety of materials of this earth, such as soil, lithology, minerals, fossils. The diversity ranging from physical, biological to chemical, such as size, color, shape, composition, and mineralogy. In this modern era, tools have been able to identify such materials as using polarization microscopes for microscopic observation. Another thing that underlies the application of forensic geology is the assumption that any contact with the earth’s material will result in a trace of the perpetrator, the victim, the object, or the scene of the case which then identified the material, its origin, similarities with other areas, and so on. This becomes a great potential in the law enforcement process, and becomes a supporting tool to unravel the mystery of the criminals. Here the geoscientist’s role is needed to identify and observe the earth’s material and Indonesia has many reliable geoscientist to solve the problem.