This work aims to evaluate whether the multi-point analysis the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer
(RLS) will perform on powdered samples could serve to classify ultramafc rocks on Mars. To do
so, the RLS ExoMars Simulator was used to study terrestrial analogues of Martian peridotites and
pyroxenites by applying the operational constraints of the Raman spectrometer onboard the Rosalind
Franklin rover. Besides qualitative analysis, RLS-dedicated calibration curves have been built to
estimate the relative content of olivine and pyroxenes in the samples. These semi-quantitative results,
combined with a rough estimate of the concentration ratio between clino- and ortho-pyroxene
mineral phases, were used to classify the terrestrial analogues. XRD data were fnally employed as
reference to validate Raman results. As this preliminary work suggests, ultramafc rocks on Mars could
be efectively classifed through the chemometric analysis of RLS data sets. After optimization, the
proposed chemometric tools could be applied to the study of the volcanic geological areas detected
at the ExoMars landing site (Oxia Planum), whose mineralogical composition and geological evolution
have not been fully understood
