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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive ice formations are disappearing and projected to melt away completely by the start of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The mountain range’s ice sheets are older than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since known peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares.

Global Threat to Ice Formations

Ice masses around the world are under threat during the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of this year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to thaw because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will vanish, leading to sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the American west, glaciers have shrunk substantially since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the biggest and likely oldest in the range. Their durability during global heating makes them “indicators” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article states.

Study Techniques and Results

Researchers examined newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how long the region was blanketed by ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since before humans inhabited North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the glaciers experts looked at is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the initial time in human history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, one author of the investigation said.

Environmental and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”