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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive ice formations are disappearing and expected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The mountain range’s ice sheets are more ancient than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article released recently.

“Our reconstructed glacial history shows that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since documented settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study states.

Global Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are at risk during the climate emergency. A research released in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the Western United States, glaciers have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

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

Research Methods and Results

Scientists looked at recently exposed base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to determine how long the area was covered by ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since before humans occupied North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers stated, and one of the ice bodies researchers studied is thought to have grown 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic effects of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Ecological and Representational Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re iconic features of the American West.”