Feldspathic rocks on Mars: VNIR spectral properties and formation mechanisms from terrestrial analogues and Mars remote sensing data analyses
Principal Coordinator: Jessica Flahaut
The Mars-Spec project was initiated in December 2021 for a duration of 4.5 years. Mars-Spec is funded by the « Agence Nationale de la Recherche » under grant agreement ANR-21-CE49-0003.
Summary
Recent signatures of feldspar minerals in Mars VNIR spectroscopic data raise questions about the origin of the host rocks and about the true nature of Mars earliest crust. These detections could indicate the presence of anorthositic rocks from a floatation crust, or felsic remnants of a continental crust. The nature of the feldspar-bearing rocks remains enigmatic due to numerous uncertainties regarding the effect of feldspar composition and grain size/ textures/mineral assemblages on the final rock spectrum. The present project aims at investigating Mars crust composition by improving the analysis of Mars remote sensing data and combining it with laboratory investigations of the VNIR properties of a range of fully characterized, potential analog, terrestrial feldspathic rocks. Additional fieldwork at key analog sites and spectral modeling will allow us to further discuss the influence of the scale of observations and relate the spectral signature of a rock to its composition and texture. A unique reference library, acquired on whole rocks, will be generated through the MARS-Spec project, and publicly shared with the science community via the CRPG “Mirabelle” database. In turn, the project should shed light on the nature of the feldspar detections, their implication for Mars magmatic history, but will also impact future exploration of Mars by orbiters and rovers.
Main CoLLABORATors
Jessica Flahaut (PI, CRPG), Marie Barthez (PhD student, CRPG), Clarisse Peignaux (PhD student, CRPG), Gen Ito (Postdoctorate, CRPG, 2020-2023), Mélissa Martinot (Postdoctorate, CRPG), François Faure (CRPG), Raphaël Pik (CRPG), Béatrice Luais (CRPG), Martin Guitreau (LMV), Pascal Allemand (LGL, TPE).
Scientific production
- Flahaut, J., Ito, G., Barthez M., Payet, V. (2020), SSHADE/Mirabelle: “CRPG” database. SSHADE (OSUG Data Center). Service/Database. doi:10.26302/SSHADE/MIRABELLE.
- Barthez, M., J. Flahaut, M. Guitreau, G. Ito & R. Pik (2023). Understanding VNIR plagioclase signatures on Mars through petrographic, geochemical and spectral characterization of terrestrial feldspar‐bearing igneous rocks. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, doi: 10.1029/2022JE007680.
- Flahaut, J., V. Payet, F. Fueten, M. Guitreau, M. Barthez, G. Ito, P. Allemand (2023), New Detections of Feldspar‐Bearing Volcanic Rocks in the Walls of Valles Marineris, Mars, GRL, 50, 2, doi: 1029/2022GL100772.
- Ito, G., J. Flahaut, O. González-Maurel, B. Godoy, V. Payet and M. Barthez (2022), Remote sensing survey of Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex minerals for planetary analog use, Remote Sensing, 14(9), 2081; doi:3390/rs14092081.
87th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, July 2025 (Perth, Australia):
- Peignaux C., J. Flahaut and F. Faure, VNIR reflectance spectra of plagioclase in martian meteorites.
- Peignaux C., F. Faure and J. Flahaut, Igneous history of the Los Angeles shergottite: Implications for martian magmatic processes.
The European Lunar Symposium, June 2025 (Münster, Germany):
- Martinot M., J. Flahaut et al., Origin and VNIR Featureless Spectra on the Moon from Combined M3 and Diviner Observations.
- Flahaut J. et al., VNIR Spectral Analyses of Lunar Meteorites: Mineralogical Insights and Implications for Future Lunar Imagers.
19th International Symposium on Experimental Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry (EMPG-XIX) , June 2025 (Orléans, France):
- Peignaux C., F. Faure and J. Flahaut, Synthesis of large plagioclase feldspars to guide spectral analyses of planetary surfaces.
Mercury Laboratory Analog Workshop, September 2024 (DLR Berlin, Germany):
- Flahaut J. et al., The hyperspectral remote sensing laboratory at CRPG Nancy, France.
- Peignaux C., J. Flahaut and F. Faure, Spectral properties of synthetic plagioclases as planetary analog materials.
JpGU conference, May 2024 (Tokyo, Japan):
- Flahaut J. et al., Origin of Mars feldspathic rocks from remote sensing data analyses and terrestrial analogue studies.
9eme Colloque du Groupe Hyperspectral de la SFPT, May 2024 (Rennes, France):
- Barthez M. et al., A VNIR spectral database of Mars analog rocks to guide future analyses of hyperspectral data.
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 55th, March 2024 (Houston, Texas, USA):
- Peignaux C., J. Flahaut , F. Faure, VNIR Spectral Properties of Synthetic Plagioclase as an Analogue to Mars, abstract #1242.
The EAI Azores Summer School “Volcanism, Plate Tectonics, Hydrothermal Vents and Life”, October 2023 (Angra do Heroismo, , Portugal):
- Peignaux C., J. Flahaut , F. Faure, VNIR spectroscopic properties of synthetic and natural plagioclase feldspars and implications for Mars.
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 54th, March 2023 (Houston, Texas, USA):
- Barthez M et al., Petrological, Geochemical and Spectral Laboratory Studies of Terrestrial Feldspathic Rocks: Understanding Plagioclase Signatures in the VNIR Domain as an Analog to Mars, abstract #1511.
EuroPlanet Science Congress September 2022 (Granada, Spain):
- Barthez M. et al., Reflectance spectroscopy and optical microscopy laboratory analyses of terrestrial feldspathic rocks as analogs to Mars, abstract EPSC2022-467.
23rd International Mineralogical Association, July 2022 (Lyon, France):
- Ito G. et al., Remote sensing detection of feldspar spectral signatures at Atacama and on Mars.
Colloque quadriennal du Programme National de Planétologie, June 2022 (Lyon, France):
- Flahaut J. et al., New views of Mars crust.
International Astronautical Congress, October 2021 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates):
- Barthez M. et al., Identifying Martian feldspathic rocks with visible near-infrared spectroscopy.
- Ito G. et al., Potential of thermal imaging instruments in future rover and lander missions
Goldschmidt Conference, July 2021 (Virtual):
- Ito G. et al., Mapping silica content of Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex using ASTER Global Emissivity Dataset, abstract #4220.
The first Symposium on the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, July 2021 (Virtual):
- Ito G. et al., Sattelite-based mapping of silica content of the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex.
The European Geophysical Union general Assembly, April 2021 (Virtual):
- Barthez M. et al., Mineralogical composition of terrestrial feldspathic rocks using reflectance spectroscopy data from HySpex hyperspectral cameras, abstract EGU21-11902.
The 11th Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolutions in Remote Sensing, March 2021 (Virtual):
- Ito G. et al., Strategic Mineral Mapping in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex using Orbital Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imageries, abstract #27.