Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a relatively new technique that combines tow well established analytical systems (ICP and MS) to produce an instrument with a great potential in the field of multi-element trace analysis. ICP is not used as a source of optical emission measurement (as in the case of ICP-atomic emission spectrometry, ICP-AES) but as a source of ions. The major advantages of ICP-MS over other analytical methods are as follows: 1) increased sensitivity and wide dynamic range, 2) high selectivity, 3) rapid multi-element capability, 4) simplicity in the spectra, 5) low and uniform background, and 6) the ability to measure specific isotopes. Samples should be in a liquid form and are basically introduced into the plasma through pneumatic nebulization. In order to apply ICP-MS for the total elemental analysis of soil samples, suitable techniques of dissolution of the elements in the samples mist be developed. In principle, widely used HNO₃-HCIO₄-HF digestion procedure for silicate materials is satisfactory, though considerable improvement is required to avoid possible contamination and/or complete dissolution of certain acid-tolerant minerals. It was possible to determine 10 major (>0.1%) elements, together with more than 40 trace (1- 1,000ppm) and ultra-trace (>1 ppm) elements in soils simultaneously by simply aspirating the above acid digests after a 10 to 10,000-fold dilution. There was a fair agreement between the results obtained by ICP-MS and those by other analytical techniques, such as atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and ICP-AES, in most of the cases.