Sediments were deposited by the melting glacier and the melt waters derived from the ice. Since the end of the glaciation, the land surface has, in some places, been reworked by the more localized processes associated with run off, streams and rivers. We can reconstruct the environments that have existed since the end of the glaciation by studying the character and distribution of sediments that were deposited in these environments. Large lakes commonly form near the toe of a retreating glacier. These lakes are fed by melt water that comes from the retreating glaciers.
Characteristic sediments accumulate both on the lake bottom and along the margins of the lake.
This lake can be identified in the field by the rhythmically layered clay and sand deposits that it left behind. Look at the surficial geological map of the Mt. Toby quadrangle. Which shore of Lake Hitchcock is in the Mt. Streams and deltas leave behind distinctive sand and gravel deposits. Look at the surficial geological map of the Mt. Toby quadrangle.