The crust is the outermost layer of Earth. On the crust, there are tectonic plates. Tectonic plates slide around the mantle, which causes mountain formation, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, continental drift and other activities that happen on the crust. There are more than 30 tectonic plates, but the Earth's crust is divided into 15 major tectonic plates: North American, Caribbean, South American, Scotia, Antarctic, Eurasian, Arabian, African, Indian, Philippine, Austrslian, Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, and Nazca.

The Crust