Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has become one of the major techniques for in situ microanalysis of element and isotopic compositions in earth science and other related fields. Because of the extraordinary short pulse width of femtosecond laser, thermal effect induced elemental fractionations that limit the usage of traditional nanosecond laser ablation are significantly reduced or eliminated in terms of femtosecond laser ablation analyses. There is an increasing trend of developing femtosecond laser ablation analytical technique and its application in earth sciences. In this review, the basic properties of femtosecond laser ablation system (the features and generation of femtosecond laser, the different femtosecond systems) are introduced, the ablation mechanisms of femtosecond laser on geological samples were discussed with emphasis on the way of samples absorbing the laser energy, the generation and distribution of different aerosol particles, the features of ablation pits, and the unique advantages of femtosecond laser ablation. The applications of fs-LA-ICP-MS technique concerning elements and isotope analyses of geological samples over the past ten years are also studied. At last, the prospects of this technique are viewed.