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What is the concept of plate tectonics in terms of the scientific method?

I need to know how to explain the concept of plate tectonics in terms of using the scientific method.

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1. Plate tectonics (from the Greek word for "one who constructs and destroys", τεκτων, tektōn) is a theory of geology developed to explain the phenomenon of continental drift and is currently the theory accepted by the vast majority of scientists working in this area. In the theory of plate tectonics the outermost part of the Earth's interior is made up of two layers: the lithosphere comprising the crust and the solidified uppermost part of the mantle. Below the lithosphere lies the asthenosphere which comprises the inner viscous part of the mantle. The mantle behaves like a superheated and extremely viscous liquid.
2. Go here: http://www.geo.ua.edu/intro03/Plate.html to read about the different thinkers and their hypotheses that led them to believe that continents may move.