Marine regression

Marine regression is the seaward retreat of a shoreline as sea level falls relative to the land, exposing areas that were formerly submerged and leaving marine deposits above water.

Relative sea-level change: A change in sea level measured relative to the land, combining water-level change and vertical land motion. Regression occurs when relative sea level falls at the shoreline.
Transgression: The landward movement of a shoreline as relative sea level rises or sediment accumulation falls behind accommodation creation. It is the opposite shoreline shift and commonly follows regression in cyclic strata.
Sequence stratigraphy: The study of genetically related sedimentary strata bounded by unconformities or their correlative surfaces. It classifies regressive deposits and surfaces within depositional sequences.
Continental shelf: The gently sloping submerged margin of a continent extending from the shore to the shelf break. Falling sea level can expose large portions of this shallow platform.
Eustasy: Global change in mean sea level caused by changes in ocean-water volume or the capacity of ocean basins. A global sea-level fall can drive regression across many coastlines.
Accommodation space: The space available for sediment to accumulate, created by changes in water level and subsidence. A fall in relative sea level reduces accommodation on the exposed shelf.
Progradation: The seaward advance of a depositional system as sediment accumulates beyond its former limit. Prograding strata commonly accompany shoreline regression, though sediment buildout can cause it independently.
Coastal plain: A low-relief area adjoining a coast, built or shaped by marine, fluvial, and coastal processes. Regression can extend coastal plains across newly exposed marine terrain.
Isostasy: The gravitational and buoyant adjustment of Earth's crust in response to changes in surface load. Uplift after ice unloading can lower relative sea level and shift shorelines seaward.
Shoreline: The boundary between land and a body of water at a particular time. Regression describes the movement of this boundary toward the sea.

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