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Deep in California’s Sierra Nevada, massive ice formations are vanishing and expected to melt away completely by the start of the coming hundred years, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has found.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The mountain range’s glaciers are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to a report released recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study states.

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are under threat during the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of this year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7C, which the world is currently on track for, as many as 75% will vanish, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the Western United States, ice formations have shrunk significantly since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the biggest and probably oldest in the range. Their longevity amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for studying glacier disappearance in the western region, the article states.

Study Techniques and Results

Scientists examined newly uncovered base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the region was blanketed by ice. They found that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before humans occupied North America.

California’s glaciers reached their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies experts studied is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the profound impacts of the climate change, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”