Improved techniques for size–frequency distribution analysis in the planetary sciences: Application to blocks on 25143 Itokawa

The analysis of size–frequency distributions is common for studying planetary bodies with applications for craters and blocks. However, the common method of using a linear regression on cumulative block distributions is subject to systematic errors that can lead to an underestimation of uncertainties and/or a biasing of the slope. The power-law fitting procedure proposed by Clauset et al. is applied for the first time to a block or crater dataset: the global block survey of Asteroid 25143 Itokawa. Along with new results, a discussion of the importance on the preparation and presentation of block distribution statistics is also given in the context of asteroid block populations. Finally, different block sizing methods are evaluated and demonstrate the advantages of a mass-driven approach rather than a size-driven approach for a power-law fitting.