Analysis of Minerals Using Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Technology

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a rapid and versatile analytical technique, is becoming increasingly widespread within the geoscience community. Suitable for fieldwork analyses using handheld analyzers, the elemental composition of a sample is revealed by generating plasma using a high-energy laser, providing a practical solution to numerous geological challenges, including identifying and discriminating between different mineral phases. This data paper presents over 12,000 reference mineral spectra acquired using a handheld LIBS analyzer (© SciAps), including those of silicates (e.g., beryl, quartz, micas, spodumene, vesuvianite, etc.), carbonates (e.g., dolomite, magnesite, aragonite), phosphates (e.g., amblygonite, apatite, topaz), oxides (e.g., hematite, magnetite, rutile, chromite, wolframite), sulfates (e.g., baryte, gypsum), sulfides (e.g., chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite), halides (e.g., fluorite), and native elements (e.g., sulfur and copper). The datasets were collected from 170 pure mineral samples in the form of crystals, powders, and rock specimens, during three research projects: NEXT, Labex Ressources 21, and ARTeMIS. The extensive spectral range covered by the analyzer spectrometers (190–950 nm) allowed for the detection of both major (>1 wt.%) and trace (<1 wt.%) elements, recording a unique spectral signature for each mineral. Mineral spectra can serve as reference data to (i) identify relevant emission lines and spectral ranges for specific minerals, (ii) be compared to unknown LIBS spectra for mineral identification, or (iii) constitute input data for machine learning algorithms.