Young Open Star Clusters: The Spatial Distribution of Metallicity in the
  Solar Neighborhood
  We perform a comparative analysis of the spatial distribution of young (<50
Myr) open star clusters and field Cepheids with different metallicities. A
significant fraction of young clusters are shown to have low metallicities
atypical of field Cepheids. Both types of objects exhibit approximately equal
(in magnitude) negative radial metallicity gradients, while their azimuthal
metallicity gradients differ outside the error limits and have opposite signs.
Among the stellar complexes identified by young clusters, the most metal-poor
clusters are grouped in the Perseus complex. It is the clusters of this complex
that are responsible for the radial and azimuthal metallicity gradients among
young clusters. The described properties are indicative of a weak mixing of
interstellar matter before the onset of star formation there. Significant
differences between the spatial distributions of open clusters and field stars
with different metallicities suggest different conditions required for the
formation of these types of objects.
