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Far in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are vanishing and projected to melt away entirely by the beginning of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in human history, recent studies has found.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s ice sheets are more ancient than previously known, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since known settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article states.

Worldwide Risk to Ice Formations

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of this year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to 75% will disappear, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Across the Western United States, ice formations have shrunk substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Focus on Major Glaciers

The new research centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are among the biggest and probably most ancient in the mountain chain. Their durability amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining ice loss in the western region, the study notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to determine how long the region was covered by glacial ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

California’s glaciers attained their peak extents as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies experts studied is thought to have grown 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”