Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
Published on: September 11, 2016
Multielement analysis of lunar soil and rocks
Abstract:
Results for multielement analysis of lunar soil and of seven rocks returned by Apollo 11 are presented. Sixty-six elements were determined with spark source mass spectrography and neutron activation. U. S. Geological Survey standard W-1 was used as a comparative stanadard. Results indicate an apparent uniformity of composition among the samples. Comparison with solar, meteoritic, and terrestrial abundances reveals depletiozt of volatile elements and enrichment of the rare earths titaniunm, zirconium, yttriuntm, and hafnium. Althouglh there is an overall similarity of the lunar material to basaltic achondrites amid basalts, the differences suggest detailed geochemical processes to the history of this material.
Related Concept Videos
Sample Preparation for Analysis: Advanced Techniques
Acid digestion with strong acids is commonly used to dissolve inorganic materials that are insoluble (do not dissolve) in water. This method can be useful for...
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab

