Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) applied to terrestrial and extraterrestrial analogue geomaterials with emphasis to minerals and rocks

Thanks to its unique, unprecedented and very appealing analytical capabilities and performances, the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique has expanded rapidly in the last two decades in several fields of academic and applicative research, including the study of geomaterials. This review mainly consists of two parts, the first one provides a general and brief summary and discussion of the basic theory and principles of LIBS, the experimental set-up of conventional laboratory bench-top and portable, remote and stand-off configurations, the main methodologies of qualitative and quantitative LIBS analysis with the support of chemometric approaches, and the advantages and disadvantages of the technique. The second part aims to provide a comprehensive, detailed and adjourned at-my-best overview of the huge work done on LIBS applications to the study of geomaterials with focus on minerals and rocks. In particular, results obtained on element detection and quantification, identification, discrimination, classification, provenance, weathering and alteration of minerals, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, gemstones, mine ores, archeological artifacts and speleothems, are reviewed and briefly discussed. The enormous efforts and remarkable progresses made in the last decade by several research groups on the potential and viable use of LIBS on robotic vehicles for studying meteorites and planetary analogue terrestrial rocks in simulated planetary conditions, have also been reviewed.