What occurs at a transform plate boundary?

At a transform plate boundary, the defining characteristic is that tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally. This lateral movement occurs without the creation or destruction of the lithosphere. As the plates grind against one another, significant geological features can develop, such as fault lines, which are fractures in the Earth's crust where movement has occurred.

Transform boundaries are often associated with seismic activity, as the stress that builds up due to the friction of moving plates can lead to earthquakes when the stress is released. A well-known example of a transform boundary is the San Andreas Fault in California. Here, the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate interact by sliding past each other, which illustrates the mechanics of transform boundaries and the geological phenomena they can create.

In contrast, options involving plates moving away from each other, colliding, or sinking into the mantle describe divergent and convergent boundaries, which operate under different mechanisms and result in different geological formations and activities.