what plate boundary causes volcanoes

Most volcanoes form at convergent and divergent plate boundaries, not at transform boundaries.

Quick Scoop: What plate boundary causes volcanoes?

• Convergent boundaries (biggest volcano-makers)
  When two plates move toward each other and one plate is forced down into the mantle (subduction), parts of it melt and form magma.

That magma rises and can build chains of volcanoes, like those around the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

• Divergent boundaries (spreading centers)
  When plates move apart, gaps open in the crust and hot mantle rock rises and melts due to lower pressure.

Magma then erupts along cracks (fissures) and mid-ocean ridges, such as the Mid‑Atlantic Ridge or rift zones on land.

• Transform boundaries (not volcano hotspots)
  Here plates slide past each other sideways; they mainly produce earthquakes, not volcanoes, because there is little to no large-scale melting.

Simple takeaway

• If plates collide and one sinks (convergent, with subduction) → lots of volcanoes.
• If plates pull apart (divergent) → frequent but often less explosive volcanic activity.
• If plates slide past each other (transform) → mostly earthquakes, not volcanoes.

SEO-style meta description:
Most volcanoes form at convergent and divergent plate boundaries, where subduction or seafloor spreading allows magma to rise and erupt, while transform boundaries rarely produce volcanoes.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.