Final answer:
The correct statement about plate boundaries is that transform boundaries occur where two plates slide past each other. The other statements are incorrect regarding the processes associated with transform and divergent boundaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
Which of the following is correct about plate boundaries? 1) Transform boundaries occur where two plates slide past each other. This statement is correct as transform boundaries involve the horizontal motion of tectonic plates sliding past one another, resulting in shear stress and often causing earthquakes.
2) Transform boundaries can lead to seafloor spreading and rift zones. This statement is incorrect. Seafloor spreading and the creation of rift zones are processes associated with divergent boundaries, where plates move away from each other, not transform boundaries.
3) Earth's crust is destroyed along divergent boundaries. This is incorrect. The Earth's crust is not destroyed at divergent boundaries; instead, it is created as molten rock rises and solidifies to form new crust as the plates pull apart, as seen at the mid-ocean ridges or in rift zones such as the East African Rift.
4) Divergent boundaries occur where two plates move toward each other. This statement is incorrect as well. Plates moving toward each other define convergent boundaries, not divergent ones. At divergent boundaries, plates move away from each other.
Therefore, the correct statement about plate boundaries is option 1: Transform boundaries occur where two plates slide past each other.