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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are disappearing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The mountain range’s ice sheets are older than earlier understood, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article published last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in the history of humankind since known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study states.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers around the world are at risk during the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of this year found that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will vanish, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the Western United States, ice formations have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The new research centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are among the biggest and likely most ancient in the range. Their durability during climate warming makes them “indicators” for studying glacier disappearance in the west, the study states.

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their peak extents as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the glaciers experts looked at is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is very abstract, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”