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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive ice formations are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, resulting in summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in human history, new research has found.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are more ancient than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published recently.

“Our pieced-together ice age record shows that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since documented peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate crisis. A research released in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to melt because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the American west, glaciers have diminished substantially since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are some of the largest and likely oldest in the range. Their longevity during climate warming makes them “indicators” for studying ice loss in the western region, the article notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers looked at recently exposed base rock around the glaciers and collected specimens to determine how extensively the region was blanketed by ice. They determined that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans occupied North America.

California’s glaciers attained their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the glaciers experts looked at is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, shows the profound impacts of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the American West.”