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Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the start of the coming hundred years, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in human history, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The range's ice sheets are older than earlier understood, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Glaciers around the world are at risk during the climate crisis. A research released in the month of May of this year determined that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have diminished substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Major Glaciers

The recent study focuses on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are among the biggest and probably oldest in the range. Their longevity amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining ice loss in the west, the study states.

Study Techniques and Results

Researchers examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to determine how long the region was covered by ice. They found that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since before people inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the glaciers experts looked at is thought to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the profound effects of the climate change, a researcher of the investigation said.

Ecological and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is very abstract, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”