Logratios and Natural Laws in Compositional Data Analysis

Author: Aitchison J.

Source: Mathematical Geology, Volume 31, Number 5, July 1999 , pp. 563-580(18)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The impossibility of interpreting correlations of raw compositional components and associated statistical methods has been clearly demonstrated over the last four decades and alternative statistical methodology developed. Despite this a return to the “traditional” use of raw components has been advocated recently and alternative methodology such as logratio analysis strongly criticized. This paper exposes the fallacies in this recent advocacy and demonstrates the constructive role that logratio analysis can play in geological compositional problems, in particular in the investigation of natural laws and in subcompositional investigations.

Keywords: logcontrast principal component analysis; raw correlation misinterpretation; subcompositional hypotheses; subcompositional coherence; variability of olivines

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. John.Aitchison@btinternet.com

Publication date: 1999-07-01