List of tectonic plates

Map of Earth's 16 principal tectonic plates, showing plate boundary types:
Divergent:
  Spreading center
  Extension zone
Convergent:
  Subduction zone
  Collision zone
Transform:
  Dextral transform
  Sinistral transform
Plate tectonics map from NASA

This is a list of tectonic plates on Earth's surface. Tectonic plates are pieces of Earth's crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere. The plates are around 100 km (62 mi) thick and consist of two principal types of material: oceanic crust (also called sima from silicon and magnesium) and continental crust (sial from silicon and aluminium). The composition of the two types of crust differs markedly, with mafic basaltic rocks dominating oceanic crust, while continental crust consists principally of lower-density felsic granitic rocks.