4.5. Objections to Plate Tectonics Theory

Although plate tectonics has been a powerful principle to explain distribution of continents and oceans, there are several problems to which it has not been able to offer a satisfactory solution.

(a) The length of the spreading ridge is far greater than the subduction zone.

(b) Plate tectonics is unable to explain why subduction is limited to the Pacific coasts while spreading is found in all the Oceans.

(c) It has failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for mountain building. Mountain ranges such as eastern highlands of Australia etc which cannot be related to plate tectonics.

(d) It is not definite that each plate behaves like a unit, and some people have proposed an increase in the number of plates.