New data are used to examine anomalously shallow paleomagnetic inclinations derived from previous analyses of Cretaceous DSDP sediments of the central western Pacific Ocean. While VRMs are shown to produce a similar effect, the bias toward shallow values is still present with thoroughly demagnetized data. Superimposed upon this bias is a trend towards maximum flattening at an expected inclination of ~55¿, with flattening falling to zero at the equator and pole. Flattening due to sediment compaction, or 'inclination-error', is proposed to explain these observations ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990