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Deep in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to melt away entirely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, resulting in ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The range's glaciers are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article published last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history shows that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in the history of humankind since known settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study declares.

Worldwide Risk to Ice Formations

Glaciers globally are under threat amid the climate emergency. A study published in May of this year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to thaw because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on course for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Key Glaciers

The new research centers on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the largest and probably most ancient in the range. Their longevity during climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study states.

Research Methods and Findings

Scientists looked at newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how extensively the area was blanketed by ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered swaths of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to people occupied North America.

California’s glaciers reached their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the glaciers researchers studied is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate change, a researcher of the investigation said.

Ecological and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” 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 highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”