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Sampling Theory Applied to Meteoritic Populations
Author(s) -
Paz Lincoln
Publication year - 1948
Publication title -
contributions of the meteoritical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 0096-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1948.tb00047.x
Subject(s) - meteorite , population , geography , sampling (signal processing) , geology , physical geography , demography , physics , astrobiology , sociology , detector , optics
Meteoriticists have long believed in the existence of areal anomalies in the horizontal distribution of meteorites. On the one hand, the significantly different proportions in which iron and stone meteorites are found in samples of the total meteoritic populations of the eastern and western hemispheres have repeatedly called forth the statement that such an anomaly, having an origin somehow connected with geographical location, exists between the hemispheres. On the other hand, Högbom has conjectured that a similar areal anomaly, having its origin not in geographical location, but rather in the local selective depletion of native‐iron meteorite‐populations by the agency of man is found on comparing the meteoritic populations of the Old (or long‐inhabited) World and the New. This second partition of the globe into subregions is distinct from the separation into eastern and western hemispheres. The present paper critically subjects the evidence for these suggested anomalies to analysis, by use of the sampling theory developed in the study of discrete, 2‐fold populations. Such an approach is possible only because of the recent publication by Frederick C. Leonard and Boris Slanin 17 of invaluable compilations relating to the areal distribution of all recovered meteorites. On the basis of the exhaustive sampling data thus supplied, the following conclusions have been reached: Denote by W a meteoritic population derived from witnessed falls and by U such a population derived from unwitnessed falls; then no significant difference as regards the incidence of stony character exists between (1) the W 's of the eastern and western hemispheres; (2) the U 's of these hemispheres; (3) the W 's of the Old and New Worlds; and (4) the U 's of the same subregions. The analysis carried out makes clear also that current belief in areal anomalies stems from the logically indefensible practice of lumping together the U and W populations of each of the distinct geographical areas compared.