Which of the following is a process of river transportation?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which option is a process of river transportation, meaning how a river carries its load (material) from one place to another.

Step 2: Explain the concept Rivers transport their load in four main ways:

1. Solution: dissolved minerals (e.g., limestone) are carried in the water.
2. Suspension: fine particles like silt and clay are carried within the flowing water.
3. Saltation: small stones and sand particles bounce along the river bed.
4. Traction: large boulders and pebbles are rolled or dragged along the bed.

Do not confuse these with erosion processes, which wear away the river bed and banks or break down the load:

• Abrasion (corrasion): the load scrapes and wears the bed and banks.
• Attrition: rocks collide and break into smaller, rounder pieces.
• Hydraulic action: the force of water pounds the banks.
• Corrosion: chemical action dissolves the rocks.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Attrition: a process of erosion or load breakdown, not transportation.
• B. Deflation: a wind process in which loose particles are blown away, common in deserts. It has nothing to do with rivers.
• C. Abrasion: a process of river erosion, not transportation.
• D. Suspension: a method by which rivers carry fine materials. This is correct.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. Suspension.

Exam tip: Remember the transport methods with "S-S-S-T": Solution, Suspension, Saltation, Traction. If an option is not one of these four, it is probably an erosion process (attrition, abrasion, hydraulic action, corrosion) or belongs to another agent such as wind (deflation).