Global warming is rapidly melting glaciers around the world. As a result, rare artifacts that have been frozen for thousands of years are emerging from ancient ice. Archeological remains have been found at glaciers and ice patches in Europe, South America, and Mongolia. In North America, important discoveries have been made in the Rocky Mountains, the Canadian Yukon, and Alaska. Most of these artifacts are made of perishable materials such as wood, bark, and leather, and when exposed to the air, they quickly decompose. Dating these artifacts not only provides independent evidence that ancient ice is melting, but important information about the people who lived in glacial environments long ago. These rare artifacts are seldom preserved in other types of archeological sites, and finds include ancient arrows, spears, hunting and trapping tools, baskets, and clothing. These artifacts provide an unprecedented glimpse into the lives of people who once lived, hunted, and traveled in glacial environments thousands of years ago. If they are not collected and preserved soon after emerging from the ice, they are lost forever
