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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than previously known, tracing back many 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 indicates that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.

Worldwide Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are under threat amid the climate emergency. A study published in May of this year determined that nearly 40% of glaciers are destined to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is presently on track for, as many as seventy-five percent will vanish, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.

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

Focus on Key Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the largest and likely oldest in the mountain chain. Their durability amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the study notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists examined newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how long the region was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered swaths of the range for far longer than previously known – since before people occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers looked at is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the initial time in recorded history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate change, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has ecological implications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”