The Earth is composed of four main layers - the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. The crust is divided into tectonic plates that slowly move due to convection currents in the mantle. There are three types of plate boundaries - divergent where plates move apart, convergent where they move together, and transform where they slide past each other. Plate interactions at boundaries cause volcanic and seismic activity, with volcanoes and earthquakes concentrated near plate margins.