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Far in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than earlier understood, dating back many thousands of years, with some as old as the last ice age, according to an article published recently.

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

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are at risk amid the climate emergency. A research published in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to melt because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is presently on course for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the Western United States, ice formations have diminished substantially since they were first documented in the 1800s, according to the report.

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are among the largest and probably oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the study states.

Research Methods and Results

Scientists looked at newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how extensively the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the range for much longer than previously known – since before humans inhabited North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and one of the ice bodies experts studied is thought to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the dramatic impacts of the climate change, a researcher of the investigation said.

Ecological and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”