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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive ice formations are disappearing and projected to dissolve completely by the beginning of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s ice sheets are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published last week.

“Our pieced-together ice age record indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since documented peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study declares.

Global Threat to Glaciers

Glaciers around the world are at risk amid the climate emergency. A research published in May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7C, which the world is currently on track for, as many as 75% will vanish, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the Western United States, glaciers have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Focus on Key Glaciers

The new research centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are some of the biggest and likely oldest in the range. Their durability amid global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the west, the article states.

Research Methods and Findings

Scientists looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to determine how long the area was blanketed by ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since before humans occupied North America.

The state's glaciers attained their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers looked at is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic effects of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Environmental and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is highly intangible, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re iconic features of the American West.”