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Deep in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are vanishing and projected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The mountain range’s glaciers are older than earlier understood, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released recently.

“Our pieced-together ice age record 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 article states.

Worldwide Threat to Ice Formations

Ice masses globally are at risk during the climate crisis. A study released in May of this year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is currently on course for, as many as 75% will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the Western United States, ice formations have diminished significantly since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the largest and probably oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the west, the article states.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to determine how extensively the region was covered by ice. They found that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since prior to people occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the ice bodies experts looked at is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is very abstract, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”