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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive ice formations are vanishing and projected to dissolve entirely by the start of the coming hundred years, resulting in summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings 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 ancient as the last ice age, according to an article released recently.

“Our pieced-together ice age record shows that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since documented settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are under threat during the climate crisis. A research released in May of the current year determined that nearly 40% of glaciers are destined to thaw because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as many as seventy-five percent will vanish, leading to sea level rise and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the American west, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

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

Research Methods and Results

Scientists examined newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the region was blanketed by glacial ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped large areas of the range for far longer than earlier believed – since before humans inhabited North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and one of the glaciers researchers studied is thought to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound impacts of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Consequences

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”