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Other Chon
1%
Irons
1%
Achon
3%
Stony Irons
<1%
Carb
4%
H
32%
LL
20%
L
39%
ANSMET finds
Irons
1%
Stony Irons
<1%
Stony Irons
1%
Irons
5%
Achon
11%
Achon
8%
Other Chon
2%
Other Chon
2%
Carb
4%
H
38%
Carb
4%
H
38%
LL
9%
LL
8%
L
39%
L
38%
Falls
African desert finds
Figure 10.6. A comparison of modern falls, African and Omani desert finds, and Antarctic meteorites (labeled ANSMET finds).
Note the similarity between these locations of the abundances of H and L chondrites. Also interesting is the total number of
carbonaceous chondrites compared with the variation in numbers of achondrites and iron meteorites.
the U.S. Antarctic meteorites, and hot desert meteorites
exhibit relatively constant ratios of these three types of
meteorites. In contrast, the hot desert meteorites exhibit
significantly higher abundances of rare R chondrites,
primitive achondrites, martian meteorites, and lunar
meteorites. This almost certainly reflects economic pres-
sures that place high monetary value on rarer meteorites
and low value on ordinary chondrites. Thus, the number
of ordinary chondrites either collected or, more likely,
classified and described is deflated in the case of hot
desert meteorites. If the 90% of ordinary chondrites
inĀ  the U.S. Antarctic population serves as a guide
(FigureĀ 10.6), at least twice as many ordinary chondrites
should have been recovered from the hot deserts.
Conversely, if the modern falls serve as a guide, the
Antarctic population contains roughly twice as many
ordinary chondrites as expected, probably reflecting a
lack of pairing of ordinary chondrites in the Antarctic
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