Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of meteorites as a probe of the early solar system

This paper presents an evaluation of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) as a technique for gathering data relevant to Solar System geophysics. Two test cases were demonstrated: elemental analysis of chondrules in a chondrite meteorite, and space- resolved analysis of the interface between kamacite and taenite crystals in an octahedrite iron meteorite. In particular most major and minor elements (Fe, Mg, Si, Ti, Al, Cr, Mn, Ca, Fe, Ni, Co) in Sahara 98222 (chondrite) and its chondrules, as well as the profile of Ni content in Toluca (iron meteorite), were determined with the Calibration Free (CF) method. A special attention was devoted to exploring the possibilities offered by variants of the basic technique, such as the use of Fe I Boltzmann distribution as an intensity calibration method of the spectroscopic system, and the use of spatially resolved analysis. - Highlights: • LIBS of meteorites can supply data relevant to the early evolution of solar system. • CF-LIBS was applied to two different test cases. • Chemical identification of chondrules embedded in a chondrite meteorite • Experimental and theoretical profiles of Ni content in an iron meteorite