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Far in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous glaciers are vanishing and projected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the first time in human history, recent studies has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The mountain range’s glaciers are older than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as old as the last ice age, according to an article released last week.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since documented settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study states.

Worldwide Threat to Ice Formations

Ice masses around the world are under threat amid the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of this year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are doomed to melt because of climate warming. If such heating increases by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on track for, as many as seventy-five percent will vanish, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have shrunk substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Focus on Key Glaciers

The recent study centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are among the largest and likely oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “indicators” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the study notes.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how extensively the area was covered by glacial ice. They found that the glaciers have covered large areas of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

The state's glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers looked at is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the first time in human history, shows the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”