Rock dust in the furnace
Rock dust in the furnace
At DLR's Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory (PSL), samples of different rocks are exposed to extremely high temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius. Their spectral behaviour, reflection of visible light and thermal radiation in infrared wavelengths, are recorded. Samples that have different mineral compositions and variable physical properties such as grain size, cavities and roughness are examined to create a ‘spectral library’. Following the experiment, the samples are baked together in their containers and demonstrate that high temperatures significantly alter the rock substances. For comparison, granite melts under certain conditions at temperatures of 650 degrees Celsius. Basalt, a typical volcanic rock that also occurs on Venus, melts at 900 degrees Celsius.
