204 The American Geologist. October, 1902. 
280,000 square miles, there occur 28 well distinguished 
meteorite falls. 
Turning to the United States we measure a like area^ 
though of a somewhat different form, with its major axis east 
and west, and enclosing the six continuous states of Kansas, 
Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South 
Carolina. This area covers 286,000 square miles and contains 
64 meteorite localities, more than twice the numher that we 
have seen in the Mexican belt. In India in an area of similar 
extension, which includes its northwestern provinces, we find 
48 meteorite localities or nearly twice 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, al- 
though this meets an approaching rivalitv in the dispersion of 
some which we consider 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 re- 
markable in jNIexico and in India. Also the fact that the 
^Icxican 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 tmapproachable. 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 
95H tons. This equals an average weight of cj^w 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. ISlt. 
Joy, St. Genevieve, Sacramento Mts. Estben^ille, Brenham 
and Kenton Co.) we find their combined weight to be 8.470 
lbs. ; or 83^ hundred weight, as the average individual weight 
of the ten. In short, the Mexican masses weigh on an average 
1 
