Detachment is the removal of soil particles from the soil mass, which adds sediment to the sediment load being transported downslope. Deposition is the transfer of sediment from the sediment load back to the soil mass. Local deposition is the deposition of sediment very near to the point where the sediment was detached. Deposition of sediment eroded from soil clods in nearby depressions formed by the clods is an example of local deposition. Remote deposition is the deposition of sediment far from its point of origin such as deposition in a terrace channel or on the toe of a concave slope.
Sediment load is a measure of the amount of sediment being transported downslope.