X-Ray Diffraction is a non destructive technique providing information on soil mineral composition. Field portable systems are just being realised due to strict hardware requirements (see limitations).
A field portable, combined XRF/XRD system has been developed for simultaneous elemental analysis and phase identification of inorganic materials [1] and a similar system intended for remote planetary exploration and field geology [2].
Requires long acquisition times and strict alignment of the X-Ray detection systems.
Research.
1. Sarrazin, P., Blake, D., Feldman, S., Chipera, S., Vaniman, D. & Bish, D. (2005) Field deployment of a portable X-ray diffraction/X-ray flourescence instrument on Mars analog terrain. Powder Diffraction, 20(2), 128-133.
2. Gianoncelli, A., Castaing, J., Ortega, L., Dooryhee, E., Salomon, J., Walter, P., Hodeau, J. L. & Bordet, P. (2008) A portable instrument for in situ determination of the chemical and phase compositions of cultural heritage objects. X-Ray Spectrometry, 37(4), 418-423.