California Real Estate Practice Exam

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Study for the California Real Estate Exam with confidence. Engage with interactive questions designed to enhance your understanding of real estate principles, laws, and practices. Prepare thoroughly for your licensing test and ensure you have the knowledge to succeed in your real estate career!

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The sudden loss of land due to natural causes is referred to as?

Erosion
Avulsion
Accretion
Alluvion

The correct answer is: Avulsion

The term that refers to the sudden loss of land due to natural causes is avulsion. This occurs when a large amount of land is removed quickly, usually due to events like floods or earthquakes, which can dramatically change the landscape in a short time. In real estate terms, understanding avulsion is important because it can affect property boundaries and ownership rights. For example, if a river suddenly changes its course and washes away a section of land, this would be categorized as avulsion. Erosion, in contrast, refers to the gradual wearing away of soil or rock, which occurs over time and doesn’t lead to sudden land loss. Accretion is the opposite process, where new land is created by the deposition of sediment over time, often along riverbanks or coastlines. Alluvion describes the land that is created through these processes of sediment deposition but does not denote loss. Hence, avulsion is a specific legal term that captures the abrupt nature of land loss, distinguishing it clearly from related terms.