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Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are vanishing and expected to dissolve completely by the start of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has found.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the last ice age, according to an article published recently.

“Our reconstructed ice age record shows that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares.

Global Risk to Ice Formations

Ice masses globally are under threat amid the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of this year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7C, which the world is currently on track for, as many as 75% will disappear, leading to sea level rise and mass displacement.

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

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are some of the largest and probably most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to ascertain how long the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

California’s glaciers attained their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and one of the glaciers experts looked at is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“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 ecological ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”