The world’s highest mountain is now officially a little higher, and that might not be the end of the story.
China and Nepal agreed this week on a new standard height for Mount Everest, the rugged Himalayan peak that straddles their border.
As definitive as that sounds, geological changes, the complicated business of measuring a mountain and varying criteria for determining the world’s highest peak will likely ensure the question isn’t settled for good.
GEOLOGICAL UPS AND DOWNS
The mountain’s height changes. The movement of tectonic plates can lift it up ever so gradually, while earthquakes can bring it down.
The countervailing forces may help maintain a degree of stability over time, said Dang Yamin, a member of a Chinese team that surveyed Everest’s height earlier this year.
“Nature tends to strike a balance,” he told the official Xinhua News Agency. As an example, Dang cited a massive 1934 earthquake that wiped out 150 years of steady height increase in a few moments.
MEASURING MOUNTAINS
There’s more than one way to measure a mountain.
Last year, a Nepalese team set up a satellite navigation marker on Everest’s peak to gauge its exact position via GPS satellites. A Chinese team undertook a similar mission this spring, though it used the Chinese-made Beidou constellation of navigation satellites, along with other equipment.
At the same time, Nepalese crews took measurements with modern, laser-equipped versions of instruments called theodolites, first used to gauge the mountain’s height in 1856 by measuring angles using trigonometry.
The Nepalese team also used ground penetrating radar to measure the amount of snow and ice that sits on top of its highest rock.
AND THE ANSWER IS …
China and Nepal presented a new official figure of 8,848.86 meters (29,031.69 feet) above sea level. The agreement announced Tuesday was heralded as a sign of the growing political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries.
The new height is 0.86 meters (more than 2 feet) above the higher of the countries’ two previous figures, that given by Nepal. The two had diverged for year over the mountain’s actual height.
Measuring the height above sea level has always been tricky because ocean levels vary considerably depending on tides, magnetism and other factors. Rising sea levels are creating another factor for future measurements.
HAWAII’S UNDERWATER GIANT
How high above sea level is just one way of measuring a mountain’s height. One reason Everest wins the prize is that its base sits high up on already lofty foothills.
As measured from the Earth’s core, Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo is the world’s highest, standing more than 2,072 meters (6,800 feet) above Everest. Because the Earth bulges in the middle, mountains along the equator are farther from the core.
Measuring from the foot of the mountain to the peak, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea is the tallest. Most of it, however, is under the sea.
Related Stories
‹
Strong Earthquake Kills at Least 126 People in Western China Near Mount EverestWritten by KEN MORITSUGU BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, damaging hundreds of houses, littering streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in Tibet. Many others were trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, […]
Israel Steps up Campaign in Lebanon, as Iran Keeps Stranglehold on ShippingWritten by DAVID RISING, BASSEM MROUE and SAMY MAGDY BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — The war in the Middle East raged on multiple fronts on Monday, as the U.S. and Israel pummeled military targets in Iran’s capital, Israel stepped up its campaign against Iran-backed militants in Lebanon and Iran retaliated with a drone strike that temporarily shut Dubai’s airport, a crucial hub […]
Russia Offers Cash Bonuses, Frees Prisoners and Lures Foreigners to Replenish Its Troops in UkraineAs Russia seeks to replenish its forces in nearly four years of war — and avoid an unpopular nationwide mobilization — it’s pulling out all the stops to find new troops to send into the battlefield.
China Stages Military Drills Around Taiwan to Warn ‘External Forces’ After US, Japan TensionsChina’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces.
China Exploits US-Funded Research on Nuclear Technology, a Congressional Report SaysChina is exploiting research partnerships funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide its military access to sensitive nuclear technology.
Nepalese Army Moves to Restore Order After Protest Violence IntensifiesLeaders of Nepal moved to restore order after tens of thousands of protesters set fire to government buildings and attacked politicians.
A Summit and Parade in China May Signal a Geopolitical Shift. They Might Also Be Political JockeyingThe leaders of China, North Korea and Russia stood shoulder to shoulder Wednesday as high-tech military hardware and thousands of marching soldiers filled the streets of Beijing.
UNC Marks 2 Years Since Zijie Yan's Fatal Shooting With Memorial Bench Dedication and LectureUNC leaders and the applied physical sciences department held a memorial event Thursday for the two-year anniversary of Zijie Yan's death.
Vietnam Celebrates 50 Years Since War’s End With Focus on Peace and UnityVietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation with a military parade and a focus on a peaceful future.
The United States and China Are Locked In a Faceoff Over Tariffs. No One Wants To Blink FirstPresident Donald Trump tried to narrow his global trade war into a direct — and risky — faceoff with China, escalating the tariff fight.
›
