Fragmentation and Investment in Sedimentology

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Abstract
The decline of a formerly popular method in sedimentology - that of particle size analysis - is outlined, and the various ways in which the method has been adapted in the search by practitioners for a satisfactory variant are discussed. This decline and fragmentation are placed in the context of the rise of alternative holistic methods in sedimentology. Several surprising features of this episode are noted: first, many sedimentologists maintain a commitment to particle size analysis while also adopting alternative more popular methods; in addition, the 'transition' from particle size analysis to holistic alternatives does not seem to have taken place in an atmosphere of crisis. These surprising features are explained in terms of a simple model of scientific interest and investment in resources. In a complex observational science such as geology, where many methods together contribute to satisfactory observation, actors are well advised to 'invest' in a number of such techniques rather than in one alone. The broad spread of such investment makes for theoretical and methodological pluralism, and accounts for the lack of acute crisis when one method falls into disrepute.

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