S detachment from clods exposed to wind-driven rain is much greater than detachment caused by similar rainfall intensities without wind (6)*. Seemingly, changes in drop size or in the profile drag exerted by the wind account for the difference, but, until recently, insufficient data were available to support these hypotheses. One recent study revealed that waterdrops have less vector velocity when falling through a wind tunnel than when falling in still air (2) . The present study explains further the process involved in soil detachment under wind-driven rainfall. Ellison (3, 4 ) , who was concerned with the total water-erosion process, reported that raindrop splash was the principal agent of soil detachment. Bennett et al (1) later modified this by saying raindrop splash was one of several important factors in the soil-erosion processes. He stated that drop impact mixed the soil with the surface water, thus contributing muddy water to the runoff. The effects of drop impact were observed in this study and compared with observations of Ellison and Bennett. Soil loss resulting from rainfall in still air is closely related to the kinetic energy of the rain (10). The product of rainfall energy and intensity commonly is used to relate simulated rainstorms to natural rainstorms. If wind accompanying a rainstorm were to increase soil loss only by increasing the rainfall energy, this same rainfall index could be used to relate simulated windrainstorms to natural wind-rainstorms, if rainfall energy were determined in wind. But if wind contributes to soil loss in ways other than changing the rainfall energy — and this study indicates that it does — then the wind forces on the soil also must be considered. This paper reports the results of the study in which wind shear stress and