Which type of plate boundary involves sliding past one another horizontally?

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

Answer: (B)

When two tectonic plates slide past each other in a horizontal direction, the motion is lateral along the boundary, not toward or away from each other. This side-by-side movement defines a transform boundary, where earthquakes commonly occur as the rocks grind against one another.

Divergent boundaries involve plates moving apart, creating new crust at mid-ocean ridges. Convergent boundaries bring plates together, often leading to mountains or trenches, and subduction is the sinking of one plate beneath another at a convergent boundary. So the horizontal, sliding motion fits transform boundaries best.