Forensic Geology is the scientific application of earth sciences to legal matters and it is the study of evidence relating to minerals, oil, petroleum and other materials found in the earth surface. The main goal of forensic geology is to help compile an environmental profiling of a person. Forensic geology encompasses involvement as expert witness and the provision of expert testimony relative to geologic activity or circumstance. Geologist working within any forensic context must be conversant with the legal parameters that define this context. 

While forensic geology will probably not become a widely recognized sub-discipline of geologic science in the near term, its contribution to the solution of a variety of forensic problems. We have developed such a course largely based on case studies. The course was designed for non-science majors, but biology, chemistry, and physics majors have taken the course as a technical elective. Forensic geologist identifies, analyze, and compare the earth materials found on a suspect object or a vehicle to possible source. They establish the degree of probability that the material was or was not derived from the particular location.