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Learn about the study of processes affecting decomposition, erosion, and burial of organisms after death. Discover biotaphonomy and geotaphonomy in forensic anthropology.
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Forensic Taphonomy By: Corey Colburn
What is Forensic Taphonomy • Taphonomy is the study of the processes that affect the decomposition, dispersal, erosion, burial, and re-exposure of organisms after, at, and even before death. • It is the study of the fate of human remains. • Forensic Taphonomy is a subfield of forensic anthropology. • There are two branches of forensic taphonomy which are biotaphonomy and geotaphonomy.
Biotaphonomy • Biotaphonomy examines the remains themselves and asks how decomposition and destruction of the hard and soft tissue was brought about. • Biotaphonomic variables can be subdivided for convenience in to three broad categories: Environmental factors, Individual factors, and Cultural factors.
Geotaphonomy • Geotaphonomy is the study of how someone who buries a body, and how the body itself affects the surrounding geological and botanical environment.