I was raised and lived for many years along the North Shore of present day Oneida Lake. I've noticed that the land consists mostly of sand, punctuated by deposits of coarse gravels, which have the rounded appearance of water-worn rock. Does this indicate ancient beaches?

Also, there are a number of small lakes in the Whitney Point-Cortland area which I believe were natural gravel quarries (some of the quarries are still being mined). Were these also ancient beaches, or was the material deposited by the retreating ice sheet?