What needs to be clarified
Compare deposits and references across multiple features, assessing whether sampling supports discussion of similarity to site soils.
Materials to prepare
- Shoes packed separately with deposit locations marked
- Separate site and alternative-location samples with coordinates and depth
- Site plan, surface photographs and reference sampling record
What to compare
Record distribution and layering before removal. Compare colour under equivalent conditions, then grain size, minerals and other available features. Compare within-site variation with the trace, note foreign inclusions and assess whether mixture components can be studied separately.
Possible outcome of the analysis
A report may describe differences or agreement with the sampled range, identify sampling limits and suggest points for additional collection.
Limits of the conclusions
Similarity proves neither unique origin nor a person's visit. Small quantity, mixing and incomplete references can substantially limit certainty.