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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are vanishing and expected to dissolve entirely by the start 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 Range Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are older than earlier understood, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report released last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study declares.

Worldwide Risk to Ice Formations

Glaciers around the world are at risk amid the climate emergency. A study published in May of the current year found that almost forty percent of glaciers are doomed to melt because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on track for, as many as seventy-five percent will disappear, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

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

Focus on Key Glaciers

The recent study centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are among the biggest and probably most ancient in the range. Their durability during climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the study notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers examined newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens to determine how long the area was covered by glacial ice. They determined that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since before humans inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their peak extents as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers studied is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Ecological and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re iconic features of the American West.”