  We apply Shapefinders, statistical measures of `shape' constructed from two
dimensional partial Minkowski functionals, to study the degree of filamentarity
in the Las Campanas Redshift Survey (LCRS). In two dimensions, three Minkowski
functionals characterise the morphology of an object, they are: its perimeter
(L), area (S), and genus. Out of L and S a single dimensionless Shapefinder
Statistic, F can be constructed (0 <=F <=1). F acquires extreme values on a
circle (F = 0) and a filament (F = 1). Using F, we quantify the extent of
filamentarity in the LCRS by comparing our results with a Poisson distribution
with similar geometrical properties and having the same selection function as
the survey. Our results unambiguously demonstrate that the LCRS displays a high
degree of filamentarity both in the Northern and Southern galactic sections a
result that is in general agreement with the visual appearance of the
catalogue. It is well known that gravitational clustering from Gaussian initial
conditions gives rise to the development of non-Gaussianity reflected in the
formation of a network-like filamentary structure on supercluster scales.
Consequently the fact that the smoothed LCRS catalogue shows properties
consistent with those of a Gaussian random field (Colley 1997) whereas the
unsmoothed catalogue demonstrates the presence of filamentarity lends strong
support to the conjecture that the large scale clustering of galaxies is driven
by gravitational instability.
