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Far in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are vanishing and projected to dissolve entirely by the start of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The mountain range’s glaciers are older than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to a report published recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since documented peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Threat to Ice Formations

Glaciers around the world are under threat amid the climate emergency. A study released in May of this year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the American west, ice formations have diminished substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The new research centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the largest and probably oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article states.

Study Techniques and Results

Scientists examined newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how long the area was covered by ice. They determined that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

California’s glaciers reached their peak extents as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the ice bodies researchers looked at is believed to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is very abstract, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”