Basal till preconsolidation values represent a proxy for past subglacial stress and hydrologic conditions. Preconsolidation results obtained from the path of the Laurentide, Lac La Biche ice stream were low, ranging from 137 kPa to 268 kPa with a mean of 201 kPa. Postglacial pedogenic processes have not significantly altered the effective pressure signal imparted on the till by the overriding Lac La Biche ice stream. The observed low variation in preconsolidation values suggests that vertical groundwater drainage was not the dominant control in the maintenance of local effective basal pressures.

Geologic interpretation indicates the dominant basal flow process was sliding with associated heterogeneous ductile sediment deformation. Pervasive sediment deformation was a transitory process restricted to localized areas of the bed. Evidence of a widespread network of narrow, high pressure canals at the ice/bed interface suggests that the till bed acted to restrict basal meltwater drainage to underlying aquifers.