PETRA: Deciphering the magnetic record of planetary rocks using spacecraft and laboratory measurements

Constraining the evolution of the magnetic field of terrestrial bodies has important implications concerning the evolution of their thermal state, composition, atmosphere, climate and ultimately of their habitability over geological times. Rocks are instrumental in enabling us to track this evolution because they record it through their property of acquiring and preserving magnetization. Deciphering rocks’ magnetic record relies on the acquisition and processing of spacecraft and near-surface magnetic field measurements on the one hand and laboratory measurements of rock samples on the other.

One aspect of the project PETRA is focused on developing methodologies that allow us to infer magnetization information from magnetic field measurements ranging from km- down to nm-scale. Such methodologies can be applied both to spacecraft magnetic field measurements and magnetic microscopy measurements. The other aspect of the project is focused on bulk paleomagnetic and magnetic microscopy measurements of lunar rocks and Martian meteorites, with the aim of constraining the evolution of the lunar and Martian magnetic fields over geological times.