What boundary involves the collision of plates and often mountain formation?

• A. Divergent boundary
• B. Transform boundary
• C. Convergent boundary
• D. Oceanic boundary

Answer: (C)

When two tectonic plates push toward each other, the boundary is convergent, and the compression causes the crust to buckle and rise, building mountains. If continental plates collide, neither readily sinks, so the rocks are forced upward, creating large mountain ranges like the Himalayas. Even when one plate is oceanic and one continental, the collision and subduction strengthen uplift and can form coastal mountains and volcanic activity, but the key feature is the collision and resulting crust thickening at a convergent boundary.

Divergent boundaries involve plates moving apart, leading to rift valleys and mid-ocean ridges rather than giant mountains from collision. Transform boundaries slip past each other horizontally, causing earthquakes rather than building mountains through uplift. An “oceanic boundary” isn’t a standard term for this process.