What is the term for the uncovering of additional land due to receding waters?

The term for the uncovering of additional land due to receding waters is reliction. This legal concept refers specifically to the gradual withdrawal of water from a shoreline, resulting in the exposure of new land that was previously submerged. In the context of real estate and property law, reliction can affect land ownership and usage rights, as the newly exposed land typically becomes part of the adjacent property, provided that the change in land area occurs naturally.

While the other terms are related to land changes, they represent different processes. Accretion refers to the gradual addition of land through sediment deposition by natural forces, such as rivers and tides. Alluvion is often used synonymously with accretion but specifically refers to the increased land that results from sediment deposit. Avulsion, in contrast, is the rapid and often violent change of land ownership resulting from events like flooding or a landslide, which may change property boundaries swiftly rather than gradually. Understanding these distinctions is crucial in the fields of property law and real estate, where they can significantly impact land ownership and usage rights.