Tectonic plates can be convergent, transform, or divergent. These are the three main types of plate boundaries:

* Convergent: Plates collide with each other. This can result in mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

* Transform: Plates slide past each other horizontally. This causes earthquakes.

* Divergent: Plates move apart from each other. This allows magma to rise from the mantle, creating new crust and causing volcanic activity.

So, tectonic plates are not just one of these types – they can be all three. The type of boundary describes the way the plates interact at a specific location.