We describe our preliminary investigation of mid-infrared spectropolarimetry as a new technique to accurately measure features in the thermal spectra of planetary regoliths. The 5- to 12-μm polarization of igneous rocks and powders commonly found on planetary surfaces is measured to explore the viability of this technique for future ground-based and space-based experiments. We find mid-infrared polarization to be diagnostic of composition for both whole rock and sand samples. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994