ABSTRACTNorth East Scotland is an area characterised by selective glacial erosion. In this study a steady-state maximum ice sheet model is used to calculate basal ice sheet temperatures for the bed of a former Scottish ice sheet similar in dimensions to that of the late Weichselian in this area. A transect from the centre to the margin of the ice sheet measuring 140 by 20 kilometres is used and the model is adapted to take account of patterns of convergence and divergence of ice flow caused by an irregular bed topography. This model predicts the development of zones of basal melting and ice streams along topographic depressions such as large valleys and cold based ice over adjacent interfluves. Geomorphological mapping from aerial photography and field survey shows that these contrasts in basal thermal regime coincide with evidence of glacial erosion and glacial protection respectively. The conclusion is that the overall pattern of ice sheet erosion can be explained by the pattern of modelled basal ice temperatures at the ice sheet maximum if convergence and divergence are included in the calculations.