Within the last 35 years, a revolution in geology has occurred through the advent, acceptance, and application of the unifying geodynamic theory of plate tectonics. Acceptance of plate tectonics followed the development of post-World War II geophysical datasets. The concept has proven popular both in and out of the geologic profession, as evidenced by its ubiquitous presence in earth science teaching at all levels, and its presentation in popular media. Plate tectonic interpretations are not restricted to uniformitarian geology. Recent publications advocate derivative catastrophist interpretations of plate tectonics. Catastrophist and uniformitarian interpretations share many premises and conclusions. Therefore a concise analysis of more voluminous evidence for and against uniformitarian plate tectonics can be used as a shortcut to assess the credibility of catastrophic plate tectonics. Ongoing questions regarding uniformitarian plate tectonics offer reasons for skepticism of catastrophic plate tectonics until a more thorough evaluation is complete.