Plate boundary

A plate boundary is where two plates meet. Its characteristics depend on whether the plates move apart, move together or slide past each other. These movements help explain why earthquakes and volcanoes occur in belts rather than being evenly spread across the world.

A plate boundary, or margin, is where two plates meet. Over long periods, movement at these boundaries creates new crust, recycles oceanic crust and builds mountains. It also produces earthquakes and volcanic activity.