What is a characteristic feature of a conservative plate boundary?

The characteristic feature of a conservative plate boundary is that plates move in opposite directions. This type of boundary is distinguished by the movement of tectonic plates that slide past each other horizontally. As they do so, there is no significant creation or destruction of crust, which is a hallmark of conservative boundaries. Instead, the interaction between the sliding plates can cause stress to build up along faults, leading to earthquakes.

In contrast to other types of plate boundaries, conservative boundaries do not involve plates converging toward one another or pushing against each other, which are features seen in convergent and transform boundaries, respectively. Thus, the movement of plates in opposite directions accurately describes the dynamics at a conservative plate boundary.