Mass distribution of Antarctic ordinary chondrites and the estimation of the fall‐to‐specimen ratios

• Published in: Meteoritics
• Main Authors: Ikeda, Yukio, Kimura, Makoto
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1992
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.1992.tb00225.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1945-5100.1992.tb00225.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1945-5100.1992.tb00225.x

Abstract— The cumulative mass distributions (mass range > 100 g) of each type of Japanese and U.S. Antarctic ordinary chondrites are compared with those of non‐Antarctic falls and those obtained from the present‐day flux of meteorites. The steeper slope of the mass distribution of Antarctic chondrites is indicative of the presence of several chondrite showers. The fall‐to‐specimen ratio of Antarctic ordinary chondrites larger than 100 g is about 1:2, indicating that half of them are shower components. The fall‐to‐specimen ratios of each group range from 1:1 to 1:6; those of the Japanese and U.S. Antarctic meteorite collections are 1:1 to 1:2 and 1:4 for H chondrites, 1:1 to 1:2 and 1:2 for L chondrites, and 1:2 and 1:6 for LL chondrites, indicating that the Japanese collection includes less abundant shower components than the U.S. collection. The fall‐to‐specimen ratios of each H4‐6 and L4‐6 type range from 1:1 to 1:4, and U.S. H6 and Japanese H4 have the low ratios of 1:4.