Undoubtedly the coastal till plateau of Northumberland was deeply incised b
y rivers crossing from the ice-covered uplands inland, and no doubt locally
modified by subglacial drainage before the ice wasted back. Two approaches
were used to allow for this in the measurement of the contribution of post
glacial subaerial erosion to the shape of the contemporary landscape, and t
hus in the calculation of mean rates of erosion. If, despite these adjustme
nts, the average depth of erosion has been overestimated. the error can be
little more than 15 per cent. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.