Ball mill / Samples grinder
(Base equipement that will prepare geological samples to be tested futher - for instance: in LIBS)
(http://www.chemplex.com/images/pic_gyralgrinder.jpg)
http://geology.um.edu.my/1%20Mac%202009/DSC01149.JPG (http://geology.um.edu.my/1%20Mac%202009/DSC01149.JPG)
In real life it looks like this:
First you take a sample of a rock/ground or a core sample from drilling.
Next - you take that sample for grinding into powder.
Powdered sample can be studied futher with multiple instruments that couldn't test macroscopic objects that you collect.
One of those tests is LIBS.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/26/article-0-0AEA0C26000005DC-417_468x318.jpg)
(http://www.hyperkat.com/Colony/Images/libs.png)
So I propose that in order to test the samples you would have to prepare them first by grinding them to powder.
That may seem like adding some work to the collony but I think that it's worth it.
Not only becouse it's real, but it gives players some additional job to do.
It gives you the feeling of being a real field geologist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_mill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_mill)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/High-energy_ball_milling.gif)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_%28grinding%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_%28grinding%29)
http://www.chemplex.com/grinding/gyralgrinder.aspx (http://www.chemplex.com/grinding/gyralgrinder.aspx)
http://www.envsci.mq.edu.au/facilities/earth/index.html (http://www.envsci.mq.edu.au/facilities/earth/index.html)