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plate boundary

American

[playt baund-er-ee, baun-dree] / ˈpleɪt ˈbaʊnd ər i, ˈbaʊn dri /

noun

Geology. Also called tectonic boundary, tectonic plate boundary, a bordering edge between two tectonic plates, along which most volcanic and earthquake activity occurs as the plates push into each other, pull apart from each other, or slide against each other.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"This thickened, heated crust may have made the region mechanically weaker, so that the plate boundary preferentially shifted here," explains co-author PD Dr. Jörg Geldmacher, marine geologist at GEOMAR.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

That strain accumulates over decades and centuries, and is eventually unleashed in the form of earthquakes around that tectonic plate boundary.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

The plate boundary sits between Suruga Bay in central Japan, and the Hyuganada Sea in Kyushu to the south.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2024

“It’s not quite as obvious, because there is no tectonic plate boundary that is active,” Dr. Frank said.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2024

Pakistan and the region, which sit along an active continental plate boundary, are often hit by earthquakes.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023