[whattajoke]

As far as the lily-pad analogy goes, do you suggest that the continents are just free floating lily pads?

In the simplest of terms, yes. But that would be like calling those gargantuan space shuttle mover vehicle things, "sports cars."

[DittoJed2]

The continents rest on plates, but the plates aren't small little things just freely gliding along the earth's surface. They are solid heavy masses that it takes a lot to move. They aren't "lily pads" even in the simplest of terms.