Scientists May Have Found Answer to Mount Everest Growth Phenomenon

Scientists may have found why Mount Everest towers over other mountains in the Himalayas and continues to grow.

Mountaineer Caroline Gleich documents her 2019 ascent of Mount Everest in the film, A Climb for Equality A Climb For Equality Credit Rylo / Rylo, Great Falls Tribune via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Mount Everest is one of the tallest mountains in the world, coming in at No. 10. 3,965.8 miles away from the Earth’s core, it is 18,875 feet above sea level.

While there are taller mountains in the world, Everest reigns supreme in the Himalayas. Over 780 feet taller than the next closest peak in the region, the next three of K2, Kanchenjunga and Lhotse are all within about 311 feet of each other.

What could be the reason for one mountain towering over all of the others in its range? Scientists believe that they may have found an answer for the wild phenomenon.

With about 2 millimeters of growth per year, it was originally believed that Everest was growing because of shifting tectonic plates. While that could certainly play a part, it didn’t fully explain why it was so much bigger.

Researchers at University College London think the answer has been discovered.

There is erosion from a river network just about 47 miles away that is playing a part in the growth of Everest. A gigantic gorge is being picked at by the river, creating an uplift paradoxical phenomenon.

Uplift is the rising of portions of the Earth’s surface, caused by the pressure of hot liquid mantle below the crust. It causes a “floating” effect in a slow, drawn-out process.

Research has shown that there has been somewhere between 15 and 50 meters of growth in the last 89,000 years. That kind of information has become possible to figure out with advancements in technology.

“We can see them growing by about 2mm a year using GPS instruments, and now we have a better understanding of what’s driving it,” said Matthew Fox, a co-author of the study from UCL, via Vishwam Sankaran of Independent.

While that may not seem like a significant change in height, the process has been sped up since the Arun and Kosi Rivers joined together. With more water came stronger erosion power, leading to an increase in uplift at Everest.

“Our research shows that as the nearby river system cuts deeper, the loss of material is causing the mountain to spring further upwards,” study co-author Adam Smith from UCL said.

Everest’s already substantial lead as one of the biggest mountains is only going to continue given how often the area nearby is being battered by water from the two rivers merging.