We present an analysis of UBVRI data from the Selected Area SA 141 .
By applying recalibrated methods of measuring ultraviolet excess ( UVX ) , we approximate abundances and absolute magnitudes for 368 stars over 1.3 square degrees out to distances over 10 kpc .
With the density distribution constrained from our previous photometric parallax investigations and with sufficient accounting for the metallicity bias in the UVX method , we are able to compare the vertical abundance distribution to those measured in previous studies .
We find that the abundance distribution has an underlying uniform component consistent with previous spectroscopic results that posit a monometallic thick disk and halo with abundances of [ Fe / H ] = - 0.8 and - 1.4 , respectively .
However , there are a number of outlying data points that may indicate contamination by more metal-rich halo streams .
The absence of vertical abundance gradients in the Galactic stellar populations and the possible presence of interloping halo streams would be consistent with expectations from merger models of Galaxy formation .
We find that our UVX method has limited sensitivity in exploring the metallicity distribution of the distant Galactic halo , owing to the poor constraint on the UBV properties of very metal-poor stars .
The derivation of metallicities from broadband UBV photometry remains fundamentally sound for the exploration of the halo but is in need of both improved calibration and superior data .