Mount Everest, known as Chomolungma in Tibetan and Sagarmatha in Nepali, is the world’s tallest mountain at 29,032 feet above sea level, dwarfing other Himalayan peaks by about 800 feet. Its impressive height is partly due to a surprising geological event: the merging of two rivers approximately 89,000 years ago.
Rivers typically erode land, but the Kosi River, through a series of maneuvers, annexed another river, the Arun. This intensified erosion, removing significant mass from the Himalayan region. As a result, the Earth’s crust became lighter, allowing it to float higher on the mantle beneath. This process added between 50 to 165 feet to Everest’s height, illustrating that mountains are not static but in constant motion.
“Although mountains appear to stand still from our perspective, they are in fact always changing,” stated Jin-Gen Dai, a geoscientist involved in the research published in Nature Geoscience. Tom Gernon, another geoscientist, noted the findings as a compelling explanation for Everest's tremendous height.
Everest formed around 45 million years ago when the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate, causing the crust to buckle and the Himalayas to rise. While the crust flexes under weight, the buoyant mantle pushes it upwards, creating dynamic isostatic equilibrium. Although this balance typically prevents height changes, the erosive power of the Kosi River disrupted it.
Today, Everest's elevation continues to increase, albeit slowly, at about the width of a strand of spaghetti each year. However, geological forces may eventually reverse this growth, reminding us that the Earth’s surface is ever-changing. "On long time scales, it’s almost as if the Earth is breathing," said Adam Smith, a geoscientist involved in the study.
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