Which term describes land that gradually appears as water recedes?

The term that describes land that gradually appears as water recedes is reliction. Reliction occurs when water levels lower due to natural processes or human activities, exposing land that was previously underwater. This newly exposed land can impact property rights, as ownership may shift when body of water boundaries change.

Understanding reliction is important in land surveying and property law because it addresses how land ownership can be affected by changing water levels. It differs from concepts such as accretion, which refers to the gradual increase of land due to sediment deposition, and erosion, which involves the wearing away of land. Silt, on the other hand, is a type of soil material that can be deposited by water but does not directly relate to the concept of land emerging as water recedes.