Load – the material transported by a river

To remember the meaning of the term Load, use the following mnemonic:

Their load was heavy – so they dropped it in the river and it was transported downstream by the current.

A river picks up material and carries it downstream in four different ways:

Traction, saltation, suspension and solution. The material transported by a river is known as its load.

A river flows faster in its upper reaches and can carry large amounts of sediment (rock particles). When it reaches lower, more even ground, the river slows and the sediment (its load) is deposited. The slower the water moves the more load will be deposited. The load is typically deposited on the inside of the river bends where the slower-moving water has little energy, and towards the end of a river's journey, at the mouth.