Chemical Diversity of Sands Within the Linear and Barchan Dunes of the Bagnold Dunes, Gale Crater, as Revealed by APXS Onboard Curiosity

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) results for Phase 2 of the Bagnold Dunes campaign, focusing on the linear dunes, complement those from Phase 1 (barchan dunes) and add to our understanding of active Martian dune systems. This work highlights both compositional similarities and differences across the dune field. The concentration of elements associated with mafic minerals in coarser grains and along active ripple crests, previously identified in the barchan dunes, highlights differences in Martian and terrestrial weathering, transport, and sorting processes. Concentration of a Cr-Ti mineral phase within the linear sands is identified. The inactive ripple fields are geochemically similar to soil, while active ripple fields are similar to sands. Inferred dust content (S + Cl + Zn concentrations), derived from APXS analyses, provide geochemical confirmation of current and seasonal activity variations, within the barchan and linear dunes, as well as revealing a continuum between inactive soils and active sands.