solution: the river material load that is dissolved, as ions, in the water. this load comes from mostly chemical weathering processes and is called the dissolved load. suspension: the river material load that is suspended in the water column and is called the suspended load. these are small rock particles that the water can pick up and carry until it slows down enough to deposit them. traction and saltation: the river material load that is either dragged along the channel bed or bounces/hops downstream. larger particles moved either of these ways are part of what is called the bed load