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Far in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are vanishing and projected to melt away entirely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, leaving summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, new research has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The 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 a report released recently.

“Our reconstructed glacial history 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 study declares.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers around the world are under threat during the climate crisis. A study published in May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are doomed to thaw because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is currently on track for, as many as seventy-five percent will disappear, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the American west, ice formations have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the report.

Focus on Major Glaciers

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the largest and likely oldest in the range. Their longevity amid climate warming makes them “indicators” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article notes.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists examined newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how long the area was covered by ice. They determined that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to people inhabited North America.

California’s glaciers reached their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors stated, and one of the glaciers experts looked at is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of ice formations, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the profound effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Ecological and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”