The Earth’s surface (the crust) is divided into seven major and several minor tectonic plates. The seven major tectonic plates are– North American Plate, South American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, Antarctic plate, Australian-Indian plate and Pacific plate. Minor plates also play an important role when it comes to the shaping the Earth. Some of the minor plates are: the Arabian, Caribbean, Nazca and Scotia plates. These minor and major tectonic plates provide a framework for understanding the composition, structure and internal processes of the Earth.
The San Andreas fault in California is a transform plate boundary separating the Pacific plate and North American plate.
