Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large-scale motions of Earth's lithosphere. The lithosphere comprises the crust and upper mantle, and behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years. There are three main types of plate boundaries: divergent boundaries where plates slide apart forming mid-ocean ridges; transform boundaries where plates slide past each other along transform faults; and convergent boundaries where plates slide towards each other, often forming subduction zones or continental collisions.