68 ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



comprises 286,000 square miles and contains sixty-six meteorite locali- 

 ties, more than twice the number that we have seen in the Mexican belt. 

 In India, in an area of similar extension, which includes its north- 

 western provinces, we find forty-eight meteorite localities, or one and 

 one-half times the number in the Mexican belt. It would seem, then, 

 that Mexico must vacate her claim, often asserted, to preeminence in 

 meteoric localities. 



Only, perhaps, the wide-spreadness of some falls, notably in the 

 States of Coahuila and Toluca, may be distinctive ; although this 

 meets an approaching rivality in the dispersion of some which we con- 

 sider identical falls of aerolites in Kansas and in Iowa. 



It would be interesting to notice here the fact of the high elevation 

 of these three meteorite belts or areas above the general altitude of the 

 country at large. This is especially remarkable in Mexico and in India. 

 Also the fact that the Mexican meteorite list shows 23 irons to 7 

 stones ; the United States as a whole, 102 irons to 54 stones ; while 

 India gives 55 stones and only 2 irons. We cannot here digress to 

 even guess at the possible cause of these phenomena. 



The prominent character and preeminence of the Mexican 

 meteorites is the vast size of many of them. In this matter of bulk 

 they are unapproachable. Taking but ten of them — Chupaderos, San 

 Gregorio, Casas Grandes, Concepcion, Charcas, Descubridora, 

 Bacubirito, Zacatecas and Apolonia — we find a total weight of 86,744 

 kilograms (191,076 lbs.) or 95}^ tons. This equals an average weight 

 of 9 I- 10 tons for each of these Mexican irons. If now we take 

 the largest ten meteorites of the United States, (they are in the order 

 of their weight Red River, Tucson, Long Island, Canon Diablo, Mt. 

 Joy, St. Genevieve, Sacramento Mts. .Estherville, Brenham, and Kenton 

 Co.,) we find their combined weight to be 8,365 lbs., or 8 1-3 hundred- 

 weight, as the average individual weight of the ten. In short, the 

 Mexican masses weigh on an average 22^ times as much as our own. 

 What may have caused this so vastly greater mass of Mexican meteorites 

 we will not venture to define. Has the great height above sea level of 

 the Mexican Plateau, with its drier air and drier soil, delayed the 

 decomposition and wasting away of their irons? But Anighito in 

 Greenland, Bemdego in Brazil and Cranbourne in Southern Australia, 

 three giants, all lay close at sea-level, and all three were in excep- 

 tionally moist regions. 



The Mexican Government has taken an active and enlightened 

 part in the protection of her meteorites. Twelve years ago it 

 expended the sum of $10,000 in bringing five of the largest to the 



