Benford’s Law: applications to chondrules and refractory inclusions

Abstract

Benford's Law is a scale- and base-invariant probability distribution wherein smaller numerals occur more often than higher numerals as the first digits in many large, naturally occurring datasets. In the present study, the areas of individual meteoritic chondrules and refractory inclusions were tested for conformity to Benford's Law. Datasets of chondrule, CAI, and AOA sizes from CO and CV carbonaceous chondrites from the literature were analyzed. In each dataset, the set of areas of all inclusions (chondrules and refractory inclusions combined) was found to conform most closely to Benford's Law. The area distributions are approximately log normal; they are positively skewed with decreasing numerical values from mean to median to mode. The conformity of the set of all chondrules and refractory inclusions to Benford’s Law suggests that Benford's Law may apply to the process of aerodynamic sorting in the protoplanetary disk prior to the agglomeration of chondritic planetesimals.