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Deep in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are disappearing and projected to dissolve completely by the start of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than earlier understood, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the last ice age, according to an article released recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history indicates that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are at risk amid the climate emergency. A research published in 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 world is presently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will vanish, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Throughout the American west, glaciers have diminished substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the largest and probably most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity during climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study states.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers examined newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and collected specimens to determine how extensively the area was covered by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since before humans occupied North America.

California’s glaciers attained their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and one of the glaciers researchers studied is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the profound effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”