¹H. T. Manelski et al. (>10)
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009769]
¹Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

To meet the objectives of the many robotic and human missions planned for the Moon in the coming decade, new scientific instruments are currently under development. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a robust technique for quantifying elemental abundances by focusing a pulsed laser to generate a plasma and collecting its emission spectrum. LIBS is particularly well suited for lunar applications because of its ability to detect key light elements, including hydrogen, an important resource for future human exploration. LIBS mapping is an emerging approach in which dense, regularly spaced grids comprising hundreds of analysis points are acquired, rather than sparse raster measurements. This technique enables the delineation of clasts in brecciated rocks, identification of chemical zoning, and quantification of bulk chemistry over the scanned area. In this work, a comprehensive quantitative LIBS calibration was developed under vacuum using lunar-relevant geologic standards. This calibration was then applied to produce the first LIBS elemental map (6 × 6 mm using 150 micron raster spacing) of a lunar meteorite in lunar atmospheric conditions, with Laâyoune 002 as the target of the study. The derived major-element chemistry is consistent with a feldspathic breccia dominated by Ca-rich plagioclase (anorthite) with minor mafic clasts. The scanned area yields an estimated normative plagioclase abundance of 86%–89%, comparable to other feldspathic lunar meteorites thought to sample nearly pure lunar highlands material. These results demonstrate the utility of LIBS mapping for investigating sub-millimeter-scale chemical heterogeneity in lunar rocks and highlight its potential for future lunar surface missions.