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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive ice formations are vanishing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are older than previously known, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published recently.

“Our reconstructed ice age record shows that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are at risk amid the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating rises by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as many as seventy-five percent will disappear, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the American west, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Major Glaciers

The recent study centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are some of the largest and likely most ancient in the range. Their durability during global heating makes them “indicators” for examining glacier disappearance in the west, the study notes.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens 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 much longer than previously known – since prior to people inhabited North America.

California’s glaciers attained their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the glaciers experts looked at is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The disappearance of ice formations, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has ecological implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re iconic features of the American West.”