Slowly but surely, Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, keeps reaching up higher into the sky.
Determining Everest’s height isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Advanced technology like satellite imaging, GPS surveys, and laser measurement have refined our understanding of Everest’s elevation over the years.
In 2020, a joint survey by China and Nepal officially declared its height as 8,848.86 meters, settling a long-standing debate over its precise elevation.
Now, a study from the University College London sheds light on why Mount Everest is taller, and continues to get taller.
Photo: Shrimpo1967 / Wikimedia Commons
A geologic term called isostatic rebound and surrounding erosion from a nearby river is pushing the mountain upwards. Though only growing by up to .08 inches (2mm) per year, Everest has climbed between 50 feet (15m) and 164 feet (50m) over the last 89,000 years.
It’s fascinating to think of this massive peak growing bit by bit over millennia.
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