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The Raman spectra of a large number of natural feldspar-group minerals were obtained to determine what compositional and structural information can be inferred solely from their Raman spectra. The feldspar minerals selected cover a wide range of Na, K, and Ca proportions, crystal structures and degrees of cation disorder. The samples include both homogeneous feldspar phases and a few with visible intergrowths. From the positions of the strongest Raman peak in the spectrum, four structural types of feldspars can be readily identified: orthoclase (and microcline), albite, high-temperature plagioclase, and anorthite. Using a Raman spectral database of feldspar minerals established during this study and an autonomous spectral search-and-match routine, up to seven different types of feldspar can be unambiguously determined. Three additional feldspar types can be further resolved by careful visual inspection of the Raman spectra. We conclude that ten types of feldspars can be classified according to their structure, crystallinity, and chemical composition solely on the basis of their Raman spectra. Unlike olivine, pyroxene and some Fe-oxides, the Raman peak positions of the feldspars cannot be used to extract quantitative information regarding the cation composition of the feldspar phases. We also define the necessary specifications of a field Raman spectrometer capable of characterizing feldspar minerals during planetary surface exploration.
Freeman et al. (Mon,) studied this question.