Giorgio S. Senesi

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has moved from the laboratory to the field, offering rapid, in situ elemental analysis of minerals, rocks, soils, and meteorites with minimal sample preparation. This practical tutorial covers LIBS instrumentation, field sampling best practices, quantification methods, common pitfalls, and emerging applications in geoscience.

The fast data acquisition and minimal sample preparation of handheld LIBS devices make them very useful for geochemical mapping, resource prospecting, sample selection, and hazard identification.