River sediment, transfer metals, nutrients and pollutants from various sources and tributaries within a catchment, and deposit sediment whenever the flow rate of water is low. Multi-element fingerprinting technique could provide detailed information regarding the element concentrations in the sediment deposits and riparian soil. During summer 2011 riparian soil and sediment samples were collected from the Red, Sheyenne, James, Missouri and Little Missouri Rivers in North Dakota to evaluate the suitability of multi-element fingerprinting method to assess the element variations. During summer 2012, sediment deposits from the Red, Sheyenne and Turtle Rivers were collected to study the tributary contributions (Sheyenne and Turtle) to the elements with the emphasis on selenium and cadmium in the Red River. At the Little Missouri five tributaries were sampled to study the tributary contributions to the uranium concentrations. This study showed statistically significant variations in element concentrations between and within these rivers.