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Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has found.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The range's glaciers are older than previously known, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article released last week.

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

Worldwide Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of the current year found that nearly 40% of ice sheets are destined to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Throughout the Western United States, glaciers have diminished substantially since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the report.

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

The new research centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the largest and probably most ancient in the range. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the west, the study notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers looked at newly uncovered base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how long the region was covered by ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before humans occupied North America.

The state's glaciers reached their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers studied is thought to have grown 7,000 years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound effects of the climate change, a researcher of the study said.

Ecological and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has ecological implications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”