A high power (less-than-or-equal-to 1.5 kW, 2.45 GHz) atmospheric pressure nitrogen microwave-induced plasma mass spectrometer is described for trace element analysis. The plasma, which has an annular shape, was produced by an 'Okamoto cavity' operated in a surface-wave mode. The background mass spectrum was dominated by (NO+)-N-30, N-14+ and O-16+, and argon related ions such as Ar-39+, Ar-40+, (ArC+)-Ar-52, (ArO+)-Ar-56 and Ar-80(2+), were not observed. Preliminary detection limits for K-39+, Ca-40+, Cr-52+ and Fe-56+ obtained directly were less than 5 ppt, which are lower than those for argon inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analytical curves for the elements of interest were linear over five orders of magnitude of concentration.