Which term describes the material carried by a river that is bounced or rolled along its bed?

Which term describes the material carried by a river that is bounced or rolled along its bed?

• A. Suspended load
• B. Bedload
• C. Dissolved load
• D. Saltation

Answer: (B)

The material that moves along the river bed by rolling, sliding, or bouncing is bedload. This category includes coarser particles that stay near the bottom and are transported by contact with the bed, sometimes hopping in a motion called saltation. In other words, bedload refers to the actual sediment that travels along the bed, not the finer particles carried in the water column (suspended load) or minerals dissolved in the water (dissolved load). Saltation is a way some bedload particles move, but it’s a movement, not a separate material category. So the best description for material that is bounced or rolled along the bed is bedload.

The material that moves along the river bed by rolling, sliding, or bouncing is bedload. This category includes coarser particles that stay near the bottom and are transported by contact with the bed, sometimes hopping in a motion called saltation. In other words, bedload refers to the actual sediment that travels along the bed, not the finer particles carried in the water column (suspended load) or minerals dissolved in the water (dissolved load). Saltation is a way some bedload particles move, but it’s a movement, not a separate material category. So the best description for material that is bounced or rolled along the bed is bedload.