How does the eventual acceptance of the plate tectonic theory illustrate some aspects of the scientific method?

Over time the plate tectonic theory had to survive scientific tests. As we learned more about the Earth's interior and more bits of the fossil record were discovered it was found that the plate tectonic theory was consistent with all the new data. Identical land animal fossils on several continents implied that these continents were once closer together which implies that the continents move. The discovery of the mid ocean rifts showed that new material is flowing up towards the surface while the discovery of the subduction zones shows where the material sinks below. As more data supports a theory and less contradicts it, the theory becomes "accepted."