An accumulation zone is a price range where a market goes quiet and moves sideways for a while. The sharp drop is over, the panic has faded, and price just drifts in a band. This calm stretch is often where patient buyers build positions.
You spot one by what is missing. No new lower lows, no big red candles, no fresh panic. Price keeps bouncing off a similar low and stalling near a similar high. That flat, boring shape is the base.
Volume gives you a second clue. In a real accumulation zone, selling volume usually dries up over time. Fewer people are dumping, which is why the drops keep getting smaller and the range holds.
An accumulation zone is boring and sideways: no new lows, shrinking selling volume, and repeated bounces off the same floor.
Tip. Boring is the point. If a chart still feels scary and keeps making new lows, the base is not built yet. Wait for the calm before you commit.