In
geology, a
proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the
damming action of a
moraine or
ice dam during the retreat of a melting
glacier, or by meltwater trapped against an
ice sheet due to
isostatic depression of the crust around the ice. At the end of the last
ice age approximately 10,000 years ago, large proglacial lakes were a widespread feature in the northern hemisphere.