Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for analysis of soil elements

A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) set-up has been established, and a series of experiments have been carried out with soil samples. The calibration curves of the lines intensities versus the mass fraction of the elements were acquired by the experiment. Eighteen elements including Mg, Ca and Na were found in the sample of the soil around the South-Central University for Nationalities by qualitative analysis. Only three elements, Fe, Mg and Ca, were found in the rock at Zhuyufeng peak. These results indicate that the physical composition of soil sample impact on the precision of LIBS.