Moving Along with Plate Tectonics

Hey, what's shaking? Probably the plates moving around on the earth's surface.

"But plate tectonics is secular, Cowboy Bob!"

Should we reject a theory because it was developed by a secular scientist? Not hardly! (After all, we don't want to be guilty of the genetic fallacy and act like atheo-fascists, do we?) Nor should we blindly accept a view because it's popular. Like J Harlen Bretz and the Channeled Scablands, Alfred Wegener also bucked the consensus system when he proposed plate tectonics. This has observable scientific evidence, unlike goo-to-geologist evolution.

Image credit: US Geological Survey (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents)

Earth's surface is on plates that move. Earthquake zones and volcanoes seem to mark the edges of these plates, and when they rub against each other, you get things like the San Andreas Fault out California way. The islands of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean (perhaps you've heard of them, Judge Derrick Watson lives on one) are on a volcanic hot spot on one of the largest plates. While most creationists agree with most secular geologists on the subject, creationists have a plausible model for how the motion began, and secular scientists do not. Let's take a gander at the evidence for plate tectonics.

Have you ever wondered why some of the most powerful earthquakes strike places like southern California but leave other regions unscathed? Why do active volcanoes explode in the Pacific Northwest but skip the Midwest? Similar patterns are repeated around the globe and demand an explanation. They are important clues indicating that the earth's surface really does move.

Most of the world’s active volcanoes occur in linear belts that coincide with earthquake zones. This is especially obvious at the outer edge of the Pacific Ocean. Volcanoes are so plentiful here that this circle is called the “Ring of Fire.” Active volcanoes belch out steam, ash, and lavas from the upwelling of hot molten rock (called magma) from inside the earth. Why are so many volcanoes here and not elsewhere?

To read the entire article, click on "Plate Tectonics—The Reality Behind a Theory".



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