This is so, because while adopting an ecological model, in contrast to a physical one, similar principles may not be valid in all places. As I am slightly acquainted with Kumauni folklore, let me give some examples. There are numerous references where the appearance of particular birds and the flowering of specific plants are taken as markers of a change of season. The effect of winds blowing in a particular direction is then predicted. Snowfall on wheat fields is considered good for the crop.
Accurate time is estimated through observation of stars.
In the Nanda folklore, her curses and blessings on the pine and the oak are in fact descriptions of the respective ecological properties of these trees. There are numerous gems of such traditional knowledge which need to be studied and used in the modern contexts. In addition to this, geological observations are not a monopoly of Western Science. Indian folklore bears numerous examples of accurate geological observations garbed in terms of legends and myths. Similarly, the braiding of the River Satluj is recorded in a myth where Vashishta tries to commit suicide and the Satluj divides into hundreds of channels, a phenomenon which led to its being termed the Shatadru .