Laser ablation system coupled to an inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) enables fast, non-destructive and precise measurement of ultra-trace abundance level of elements in various minerals and materials as long as the interaction between the laser and the materials provides efficient ablation and aerosol production. Indeed, LA-ICP-MS is one of the most sensitive analytical technique capable of analyzing, simultaneously, a large array of elements at the parts-per-millions (ppm) and parts-per-billions (ppb) range. The solid material is sampled by ablating a spot (2–100 µm) at a particular location or by ablating a line raster across the sample surface. The benefits of a triple quadrupole ICP-MS is that it eliminates mass interferences sometimes present in single quadrupole ICPMS. 

The instrument is optimized to provide accurate and precise analysis of trace elements in sulfides,  silicates, and oxides as well as sulfur isotope analysis (δ34S) in pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite. 

LA-ICP-MS can be used for the analysis of a very broad range of materials including non-geologic materials from material, engineering and life sciences.