Transform boundary — Science definition
A place where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other without much crust being created or destroyed.
Where it is taught
- Plate Boundaries — Earth’s Interior & Plate Tectonics, Earth & Space Science, Grade 9
In use
At a transform boundary, plates neither pull apart nor collide — they grind sideways past each other, like two crowded lines of traffic scraping side mirrors in slow motion.
Plate Boundaries
Questions using transform boundary
Problem 1
A transform boundary is where plates
- move apart
- collide head on
- slide past each other horizontally
- are created
Answer and explanation
slide past each other horizontally
Transform motion is lateral, which is why these boundaries produce earthquakes but little volcanism.