The Height of Mount Everest is Increasing
Mount Everest, the legendary giant of the Himalayas, stands tall and proud, towering over its neighboring peaks by nearly a thousand feet. This striking height difference has left scientists scratching their heads, wondering why the world's tallest mountain stretches its neck out so much further than its companions. A new study may have an answer: The mountain isn't gaining stones, but rather, the land around it is eroding, pushing Everest upwards.
According to a study published in Nature Geoscience, Mount Everest—also known as Chomolungma or Sagarmāthā—is growing at a rate of up to 0.08 inches (2mm) per year, with the peak having sprouted between 50 and 164 feet (15m to 50m) over the past 89,000 years. Compared to Everest, the three nearest tallest peaks—K2, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotse—are relatively short, each standing around a thousand feet (305m) shorter.
So, how does this vertical dance happen? A key factor is the Arun River, which flows east of Mount Everest and merges with the Kosi River system further downstream. Over thousands of years, the Arun River has carved its banks, washing sediment downstream. This erosioncompresses the land around Everest, and as the Earth's crust adjusts to compensate for the weight loss, Everest gets a little nudge upward—a process known as isostatic rebound.
The study, led by Adam Smith of University College London, used GPS measurements that suggested Mount Everest has undergone a higher rate of uplift in recent years than its long-term growth trend. What triggers this acceleration? The researchers argue that around 89,000 years ago, the Arun River merged with the Kosi River network, leading to increased water flow and erosion, which further accelerated the mountains' uplift.
published earlier this week in Nature Geoscience. Furthermore, over the past 89,000 years the 29,032-foot (8,849m) peak sprouted between 50 feet (15m) and 164 feet (50m).
This growing pattern is not exclusive to Mount Everest. Study co-author Jin-Gen Dai, an earth scientist from the China University of Geosciences, says that the uplift is also occurring in Lhotse and Makalu, the four and fifth-highest peaks in the world. While the uplift rates of the three peaks are similar, Makalu's is likely slightly higher since it's geographically closer to the Arun River.
In conclusion, the interconnected nature of Earth's surface is a powerful force, shaping our most iconic mountains. The flow of water through the Arun River can cause Earth's crust to rebound, lifting our most significant mountaintops ever so slightly higher.
- The study, led by Adam Smith from the University College London, suggests that the rate of uplift in Mount Everest has increased recently, as observed through GPS measurements.
- The vertical dance of Mount Everest is influenced by the Arun River, which erodes its banks over thousands of years, causing the land around it to compress and the mountain to rise due to isostatic rebound.
- The study in Nature Geoscience reveals that Everest has grown between 50 to 164 feet over the past 89,000 years, with a current annual growth rate of up to 0.08 inches.
- The interconnected web of Earth's surface processes, such as the flow of water through rivers like the Arun, are responsible for ever so slightly lifting our most iconic mountain peaks, like Mount Everest and Lhotse, which are also undergoing uplift.