Which boundary between tectonic plates is associated with earthquakes when plates slide past one another?

Which boundary between tectonic plates is associated with earthquakes when plates slide past one another?

• A. Divergent Boundary
• B. Convergent Boundary
• C. Subduction Zone
• D. Transform Boundary

Answer: (D)

When rocks are stuck as plates try to move past each other, friction builds up until they snap and energy is released as an earthquake. This side-by-side, or shear, motion happens at boundaries where the plates slide past one another. That boundary type is the transform boundary, which is why it’s the best answer. A familiar example is the San Andreas Fault, where horizontal motion along the boundary drives earthquakes. Divergent boundaries involve plates of the crust moving apart, and convergent boundaries involve plates colliding and often one sinking beneath the other; neither specifically describes the sliding-past motion that characterizes earthquakes at transform boundaries.

When rocks are stuck as plates try to move past each other, friction builds up until they snap and energy is released as an earthquake. This side-by-side, or shear, motion happens at boundaries where the plates slide past one another. That boundary type is the transform boundary, which is why it’s the best answer. A familiar example is the San Andreas Fault, where horizontal motion along the boundary drives earthquakes.

Divergent boundaries involve plates of the crust moving apart, and convergent boundaries involve plates colliding and often one sinking beneath the other; neither specifically describes the sliding-past motion that characterizes earthquakes at transform boundaries.