Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Feldspars From the Bühl Basalt (Northern Hesse, Germany) Formed Under Reducing Conditions as Terrestrial Analogue of Mercury for MERTIS

Abstract

The MErcury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer instrument onboard the BepiColombo spacecraft is designed to investigate Mercury’s surface in the mid-infrared (mid-IR). Based on MESSENGER data and modeling, Mercury is thought to be evolved under highly reducing conditions (e.g., McCubbin et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JE005367; Namur & Charlier, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2860). The modeling also indicates that Mercury's surface is rich in feldspar. However, it is unknown if reducing conditions during the emplacement of volcanic melts have an influence on the IR properties of feldspars. Therefore, we investigated basaltic samples from the Bühl quarry in northern Hesse, Germany, that evolved under reducing conditions in the mid-IR and compared the spectra with samples that experienced more oxidizing conditions during their formation. The Bühl samples are feldspar-rich and contain metallic iron in some areas. Our investigations show that there are no differences between feldspars that formed under different oxidizing conditions. All spectral properties could be explained by well-known factors that affect mid-IR spectra of silicates.