diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/banded.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/banded.hpp
index 539ff70d..cc63a52b 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/banded.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/banded.hpp
@@ -199,6 +199,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         reference insert_element (size_type i, size_type j, const_reference t) {
             return (operator () (i, j) = t);
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i, size_type j) {
+            return (operator () (i, j) = value_type/*zero*/());
+        }
 
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/hermitian.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/hermitian.hpp
index b83bf4e8..9366ee00 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/hermitian.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/hermitian.hpp
@@ -384,6 +384,12 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
                 return (data () [triangular_type::element (layout_type (), j, size_, i, size_)] = type_traits<value_type>::conj (t));
             }
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i, size_type j) {
+            BOOST_UBLAS_CHECK (i < size_, bad_index ());
+            BOOST_UBLAS_CHECK (j < size_, bad_index ());
+            data () [triangular_type::element (layout_type (), i, size_, j, size_)] = value_type/*zero*/();
+        }
 
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/matrix.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/matrix.hpp
index ff44d202..e5aff74e 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/matrix.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/matrix.hpp
@@ -163,7 +163,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         reference insert_element (size_type i, size_type j, const_reference t) {
             return (at_element (i, j) = t);
         }
-        
+        void erase_element (size_type i, size_type j) {
+            return (at_element (i, j) = value_type/*zero*/());
+        }
+
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
         void clear () {
@@ -1075,6 +1078,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         reference insert_element (size_type i, size_type j, const_reference t) {
             return (at_element (i, j) = t); 
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i, size_type j) {
+            return (at_element (i, j) = value_type/*zero*/()); 
+        }
         
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/symmetric.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/symmetric.hpp
index 96ac348c..5b0e178b 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/symmetric.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/symmetric.hpp
@@ -171,6 +171,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         reference insert_element (size_type i, size_type j, const_reference t) {
             return (operator () (i, j) = t);
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i, size_type j) {
+            return (operator () (i, j) = value_type/*zero*/());
+        }
         
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/triangular.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/triangular.hpp
index f0b60465..fb0e1709 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/triangular.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/triangular.hpp
@@ -153,6 +153,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         reference insert_element (size_type i, size_type j, const_reference t) {
             return (operator () (i, j) = t);
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i, size_type j) {
+            return (operator () (i, j) = value_type/*zero*/());
+        }
         
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
diff --git a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/vector.hpp b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/vector.hpp
index 24b7a831..9e86b596 100644
--- a/include/boost/numeric/ublas/vector.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/numeric/ublas/vector.hpp
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
         reference insert_element (size_type i, const_reference t) {
             return (data () [i] = t);
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i) {
+            data () [i] = value_type/*zero*/();
+        }
         
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
@@ -1258,6 +1262,11 @@ namespace boost { namespace numeric { namespace ublas {
             BOOST_UBLAS_CHECK (i < size_, bad_index ());
             return (data_ [i] = t);
         }
+        BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE
+        void erase_element (size_type i) {
+            BOOST_UBLAS_CHECK (i < size_, bad_index ());
+            return (data_ [i] = value_type/*zero*/());
+        }
         
         // Zeroing
         BOOST_UBLAS_INLINE