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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, enormous glaciers are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are older than earlier understood, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published recently.

“Our reconstructed ice age record shows that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in the history of humankind since documented settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study declares.

Global Threat to Ice Formations

Ice masses globally are under threat during the climate crisis. A study released in the month of May of the current year found that nearly 40% of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to 75% will disappear, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the American west, ice formations have shrunk substantially since they were first documented in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the biggest and probably oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying glacier disappearance in the western region, the article notes.

Research Methods and Findings

Scientists looked at recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how extensively the region was covered by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies researchers studied is thought to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has ecological ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is very abstract, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”