Empiricism and model-building in stratigraphy: Around the hermeneutic circle in the pursuit of stratigraphic correlation

The discipline of geology has varying theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the earth and its pro- cesses. By focusing on the ways in which geological theories are constructed and tested through the use of various methodologies, it be- comes evident that research approaches compete with each other to legitimate their own constructions of scientific knowledge. It also becomes clear that uncritical adherence to theoretical and …