What is "avulsion"

Avulsion \A*vul"sion\, n. [L. avulsio.]

1. A tearing asunder; a forcible separation.

   The avulsion of two polished superficies.
   --Locke.

2. A fragment torn off.
   --J. Barlow.

3. (Law) The sudden removal of lands or soil from the estate of one man to that of another by an inundation or a current, or by a sudden change in the course of a river by which a part of the estate of one man is cut off and joined to the estate of another. The property in the part thus separated, or cut off, continues in the original owner.
   --Wharton. Burrill.

n. 1 The loss or separation of a body part, either by surgery or due to trauma 2 An abrupt change in the course of a river, typically from one channel to another 3 (context hydrology English) Movement of soil during a flood, or during a change in the course of a river, especially when a resulting change of land ownership is involved

1. n. an abrupt change in the course of a stream that forms the boundary between two parcels of land resulting in the loss of part of the land of one landowner and a consequent increase in the land of another

2. a forcible tearing or surgical separation of one body part from another

Avulsion in general refers to a tearing away. Specifically, it can refer to:

In real property law, avulsion refers to a sudden loss or addition to land, which results from the action of water. It differs from accretion, which describes a gradual loss or addition to land resulting from the action of water.

In sedimentary geology and fluvial geomorphology, avulsion is the rapid abandonment of a river channel and the formation of a new river channel. Avulsions occur as a result of channel slopes that are much less steep than the slope that the river could travel if it took a new course.