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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 2004; v. 232; p. 49-62;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.232.01.07
© 2004 Geological Society of London

Colour theory and the evaluation of an instrumental method of measurement using geological samples for forensic applications

Debra J. Croft & Kenneth Pye

Kenneth Pye Associates Ltd, Crowthorne Enterprise Centre, Crowthorne Business Estate, Old Wokingham Road, Crowthorne RG45 6AW, UK d.croft{at}kpal.co.uk

Colour is a fundamental characteristic of many materials, including soils and sediments, and has been much used in geological, pedological and Quaternary science research. Traditionally, colour has been described qualitatively by visual comparison with standard charts, such as the Munsell Soil Color Charts or the Geological Society of America Rock Color Chart. Instrumental colour determination has been developed and used in industry for a variety of applications, including quality testing of paints, dyes and foodstuffs. In this paper, colour theory is outlined, and the Minolta® CM-2002® hand-held spectrophotometer is tested on geological samples to investigate reproducibility, discriminatory power, and accuracy in analysis. Standard methods for calibration, presentation and testing of a variety of (often small) samples have been developed. Examples are provided for the use of the method in forensic geoscience casework.