|
Plate Tectonics is a good example of how the science
community collects evidence and then continuously tests the theory. We
cannot make a mathematical nor real model of plate tectonics. We have a
hypothesis of the general mechanics, but there might be pieces of data
that do not fit the overall principle. Earthquakes that are in the
middle of the country, like New Madrid can sometimes "negate"
some of the principles. Hawaiian volcanoes, explained as "hot
spots" may be an oversimplification of the real process at work.
The understanding of Plate Tectonics will continue to be tested as we
try to interpret earthquakes and volcanoes. Most fit the theory, but
others do not.
As plate tectonics matures from a theory to a
principle, changes may occur. New evidence can change the understanding,
but then that is what science is all about, the search for the truth.
|
