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Far in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are vanishing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Range Glaciers

The range's glaciers are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published recently.

“Our pieced-together ice age record indicates that a coming ice-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 Ice Formations

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of the current year determined that nearly 40% of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7C, which the world is currently on track for, as up to 75% will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the American west, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the largest and likely most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study states.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers examined newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the region was covered by ice. They found that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

The state's glaciers reached their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the ice bodies experts looked at is believed to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the dramatic impacts of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Ecological and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is very abstract, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”