Palynology (pollen analysis) involves the study and identification of organic-walled microfossils, with the most important being pollen, plant, and fungal spores.

Pollen assemblages recovered from crime scenes can be compared with those from exhibits to determine whether they have come from the same location, identify the season that this contact may have occurred, and the activity that may have led to contact or deposition (e.g. movement of a body).

This analysis can provide information on the location of clandestine graves, estimating the timing of body deposition, differentiation between deposition and murder sites, and also be used to exclude particular areas of interest.