Hematite, Biotite and Cinnabar on the Face of the Turin Shroud: Microscopy and SEM-EDX Analysis

The Turin Shroud, recently accessible for hands-on scientific research, is now extensively investigated. Its pinkish red blood stains that seem anomalous ones are studied by modern techniques (notably by resolute optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray). Exploration by these techniques of a blood stain located on the face permits us to discover some red-colour particles (hematite, biotite and cinnabar) of exogenous material in this stain. We finally characterize these red-colour particles and try to explain their presences in the blood stain. Globally, all these red-colour particles cannot explain all of the reddish appearance of the area under study.