52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Lakes and Their Deposits 

 Extinct lakes. In a general way it is important to note that 

 extinct glacial lakes of considerable size are less common in this 

 central Adirondack region than they are farther out toward the 

 borders. In part this may be due to the fact that the central 

 Adirondack region, which was first freed from the ice sheet, was 

 too small to permit of much gathering of water against either the 

 ice margin or morainic deposits across valleys. Also the relatively 

 less thick morainic deposits were probably not so effective in 

 forming dams across the valleys as they were when the ice had 

 retreated much farther toward the borders of the region. 



A series of small glacial lakes of short duration, and of suc- 

 cessively lower levels, once occupied the bottom of the Cedar river 

 valley between 3 and 8 miles west of Indian Lake village. Thus, 

 between 7 and 8 miles west of the village the surface of a small 

 lake stood at an altitude corresponding approximately to the 1880 

 foot contour. The delta sands, chiefly brought in by the large 

 stream from the west, are well shown at several places along the 

 road. Between 5^ and 7 miles west of the village another lake 

 stood at a level now corresponding to 1820 to 1840 feet with flat- 

 topped delta sands well exhibited along the road. At a still lower 

 level, from 3 to 4^ miles west of Indian Lake village, there existed 

 another glacial lake with delta sands now lying at about 1760 feet. 

 These lakes were drained in succession either by retreat of the ice 

 front or cutting down morainic deposits either of which must 

 have formed dams across the valley. 



Most of the swamp areas, particularly those of considerable size 

 which are nearly flat, were formerly occupied by shallow lakes held 

 up by drift dams, the lakes having been destroyed by filling with 

 vegetable matter and sediment and cutting down of outlets. 

 Excellent examples are the svv'amp areas along Sixmile .brook and 

 Fishing brook, just east of the south end of Tirrell pond; O'Neil 

 flow; Thirty-four marsh; and just northeast of Indian Lake village. 

 Existing lakes. Existing lakes of the quadrangle illustrate all 

 stages from those which are only remnants of formerly much larger 

 bodies of water to those which are now nearly as large as they 

 ever were. Some examples of the former are Unknown pond, the 

 first of the Chain lakes, and the Grassy ponds; while examples of 

 the latter are Long lake and Blue ^Mountain lake. 



As already stated, there is no positive evidence that any lake 

 occupies a true rock basin scoured out by the action of the great 



