Abstract
In this study, the quantitative analysis of inorganic elemental contents available in desert soil are studied using a one step method: laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. LIBS parameters were optimized to achieve high sensitivity measurements. It was found that focusing 50 mJ of fundamental wavelength Nd:YAG laser pulses onto soil samples enhanced the signal to background ratio at detection delay of 1 ms. The atomic spectral lines for Na, Mg, Si. Al. Fe, Mn and Si were resolved. The calibration curves for Na. Mg, Si. Al. Fe, Mn and Si were observed, with correlation coefficient, R-2, values around 0.9. The obtained results are not only important for non-destructive in situ environmental analysis but also in space exploration applications.