• 13 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Plate Boundaries Diagram

Three drawings, one for each kind of plate boundary: apart, together and side by side.

Plate Boundaries Diagram

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Divergent boundary
  2. Mid-ocean ridge
  3. Rift valley
  4. Magma
  5. Convergent boundary
  6. Subduction zone
  7. Ocean trench
  8. Volcanic arc
  9. Oceanic crust
  10. Continental crust
  11. Transform boundary
  12. Lithosphere
  13. Asthenosphere

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the ocean floor

All 13 parts on the diagram

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Divergent boundary 4

  1. Divergent boundary Where two plates move apart. New crust forms here.
  2. Mid-ocean ridge An undersea mountain range where new sea floor is made.
  3. Rift valley The valley along the crest of a slowly spreading ridge.
  4. Magma Melted rock that rises between the plates. It cools into new crust.

Convergent boundary 6

  1. Convergent boundary Where two plates move together. One sinks under the other.
  2. Subduction zone Where one plate sinks beneath another.
  3. Ocean trench The deepest part of the ocean floor. Subduction makes it.
  4. Volcanic arc A line of volcanoes on the plate that stays on top.
  5. Oceanic crust Thin, dense crust under the oceans. It is the crust that sinks.
  6. Continental crust Thick, light crust that makes up the continents.

Transform boundary 3

  1. Transform boundary Where two plates slide past each other. No crust is made or lost.
  2. Lithosphere Earth's rigid outer shell: the crust and the top of the mantle.
  3. Asthenosphere The softer layer of the mantle that the plates ride on.

How this list was compiled: Every name and statement checked on 2026-10-03 in two independent sources. (1) US Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth, Understanding plate motions, https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html : divergent, convergent and transform boundaries, magma pushing up from the mantle at spreading centers, the mid-ocean ridge system, subduction zones, trenches as the deepest parts of the ocean floor, oceanic and continental crust, transform faults. (2) National Park Service, Plate Tectonics: Types of Plate Boundaries, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-types-of-plate-boundaries.htm , with its pages on divergent boundaries, subduction zones and transform boundaries: the three types, a line of volcanoes (volcanic arc) on the overriding plate, thin oceanic and thick continental crust, rift valleys. (3) National Park Service, Inner Earth Model, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-inner-earth-model.htm : the lithosphere (crust and outermost mantle) riding over the softer asthenosphere. (4) NOAA Ocean Exploration, What is a mid-ocean ridge?, https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/mid-ocean-ridge.html : the mid-ocean ridge as a chain of mountains, the rift valley of the slowly spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. (5) Wikipedia: Divergent boundary, Convergent boundary, Transform fault, Mid-ocean ridge, Volcanic arc, Lithosphere, Asthenosphere, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics . Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry. Own original drawing; nothing is traced or copied. Licence: own work

How it works

This plate boundaries diagram to label shows the three kinds one at a time: a divergent boundary under the sea, a convergent boundary where an ocean plate sinks under a continent, and a transform boundary.

Read the full guide

Divergent

Two plates move apart. Magma rises between them and makes new crust. Under the sea this builds a mid-ocean ridge, a long mountain range. A slowly spreading ridge has a rift valley along its crest.

Convergent and transform

At a convergent boundary two plates move together. Here thin oceanic crust sinks under thick continental crust: a subduction zone. The sea floor is deepest at the ocean trench, and a volcanic arc rises on the plate that stays on top. At a transform boundary two plates slide past each other.

  • Each pair of bold arrows is a boundary: apart, together, or side by side in opposite directions.
  • The cut front of the transform block shows the rigid lithosphere on the softer asthenosphere.

Questions and answers

Can I print this plate boundaries diagram and label it on paper?

Yes. Print the drawing blank and write the thirteen names in, or print it with the names as a key. On screen, press Quiz me and tap each part as its name comes up.

What are the three types of plate boundaries?

Divergent, convergent and transform. At a divergent boundary two plates move apart and new crust forms. At a convergent boundary they move together and one sinks under the other. At a transform boundary they slide past each other.

What is the difference between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere?

The lithosphere is Earth's rigid outer shell, made of the crust and the top of the mantle. It is broken into plates. The asthenosphere is the softer layer of the mantle under it, which the plates ride over.

What happens at a transform boundary?

Two plates slide sideways past each other, and crust is neither made nor destroyed. Most transform faults are on the ocean floor. California's San Andreas Fault is one of the few on land.

Where can I label the diagrams below with the appropriate subduction zone feature?

Open the Convergent view. It asks the subduction zone, the ocean trench, the volcanic arc and the two kinds of crust. The drawing is this site's own, so your figure may use other names.

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