Standing at an impressive height of 29,032 feet, Mount Everest surpasses the nearby Himalayas by several hundred feet.
Scientists have discovered that the world’s highest mountain is still growing, attributed in part to the merging of two nearby river systems tens of thousands of years ago.
Researchers found that Everest rose between approximately 50 feet and 160 feet due to this merging, as detailed in a study published in Nature Geoscience.
“Even a seemingly permanent landform like Mount Everest can be continuously changed by various geological forces,” said Dai, a geoscientist from the China University of Geosciences in Beijing and co-author of the study, in an email to NBC News.
The Himalayas, including Everest, have been steadily increasing in height since the collision of the Indian subcontinent and the lower Eurasian plates around 45 million years ago.
A significant event occurred about 89,000 years ago when the Kosi River overtook the Arun River, leading to substantial erosion of rock and soil from the Himalayan foothills nearly 80 miles from Everest.
Through a geological process known as isostatic rebound, erosion reduced the weight of the area, allowing for the uplift of the Earth’s crust.
Scientists estimate that this rebound is causing Everest to grow at a rate of 0.16 to 0.53 millimeters per year, accounting for half of its annual uplift rate.
Research suggests that this phenomenon may explain why Mount Everest is unusually tall compared to its neighboring peaks.
Professor Dai noted that the role of isostatic rebound associated with river capture and erosion in Everest’s elevation adds a novel aspect to the study of mountain formation.
“These findings, while not completely revolutionary, are certainly surprising and could prompt a reevaluation of current models of the formation and evolution of the Himalayas,” Dai commented.
The study also emphasizes the interconnectedness of the Earth’s systems, where changes in one region can have significant impacts on others,” he added.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
