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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has found.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The range's ice sheets are older than earlier understood, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to a report released recently.

“Our reconstructed ice age record indicates that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Risk to Ice Formations

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate emergency. A study published in May of this year determined that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is currently on course for, as many as 75% will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Throughout the American west, glaciers have diminished significantly since they were first documented in the 1800s, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Glaciers

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the largest and likely oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the article notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how long the region was covered by ice. They determined that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since before people inhabited North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and one of the glaciers experts looked at is thought to have grown 7,000 years ago, sooner than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Ecological and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”