Answer: Plate Tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called “plates,” that glide over Earth's mantle. This includes the formation, movement, collision and destruction of plates and the resulting geological events such as seismicity, volcanism, continental drift, and mountain building. 

What are Plate Boundaries? 

Plate boundaries are the edges where two plates meet. Most geologic activities, including volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building, take place at plate boundaries. The driving force behind plate tectonics is convection in the mantle. Hot material near the Earth's core rises, and colder mantle rock sinks. 

Major Tectonic Plates & their interactions 

• Convergent Plate Boundaries: It occurs where plates collide into one another. Where those plates meet, Earth's crust crumbles and buckles into mountain ranges. Convergent boundaries are also called destructive boundaries. 

• For example, Indian and Eurasian plates came together about 55 million years ago to create the Himalaya Mountains. 

• Divergent Plate Boundaries: It occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common, and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust. 

• For example, East Africa's great rift valleys and mid-oceanic ridge system in Atlantic Ocean. 

• Transform plate boundary: Two plates sliding past each other form a transform plate boundary. Earthquakes are common along these faults. 

• For example, San Andreas fault zone  

The landforms associated with plate boundary interactions are as follow: 

• Fold Mountains: They are created where two or more of Earth’s tectonic plates are pushed together. 

• For example, the Himalayas, the Rockies, the Alps etc. 

• Oceanic Ridges: They are made where two oceanic plates move away from each other and release magma, which then solidifies. 

• For example, mid-Atlantic Ridge in Atlantic Ocean. 

• Oceanic Trenches: Trenches are formed through subduction, which occurs when tectonic plates collide and push one plate beneath the other. 

• For example, the Mariana Trench in the South Pacific Ocean. 

• Island Arcs or Festoons: Hot, melted material from the subducting slab rises and leaks into the crust, forming a series of volcanoes. These volcanoes can make a chain of islands called an island arc or festoons. 

• For example, the Japanese islands, the Kuril Islands, and the Aleutian Islands etc. 

Plate tectonics is responsible for almost all significant landforms, like structures of rocks, mountains, ridges, oceanic plates, etc. Due to their frequent links to volcanoes and earthquakes, plate boundaries are very important. We can better understand and anticipate the type and timing of catastrophes like earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis because of the activity along the plate boundaries.