A Review of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Analysis of Geological Materials

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as an analytical technique has been developing into a versatile tool in various fields because of its distinct abilities, especially the simple, rapid, in situ detection of any material (solid, liquid, or gas). Following a brief description of LIBS instrumentation, the recent development in the field of geology is reviewed, including the qualitative and quantitative analysis of geological materials, as well as the LIBS application in some specific fields to the analysis of ores, extraterrestrial materials, speleothems, marine sediments, and fluid inclusion.