Mount Everest has grown by 164ft – researchers have found – and the reason behind this growth spurt will totally astonish you.
Experts have discovered that erosion and upward pressure from beneath the Earth’s crust have helped force the mountain’s peak higher.
A nearby river is cutting into the landscape around the mountain leading to the erosion of rocks and soil, the experts added.
The Earth’s crust then floated upwards due to the pressure, resulting in the world’s tallest mountain growing 164ft.
Explaining the process, Adam Smith, the study’s co-author and a PhD student at UCL Earth Sciences in London, said: “Mount Everest is a remarkable mountain of myth and legend and it’s still growing.
“Our research shows that as the nearby river system cuts deeper, the loss of material is causing the mountain to spring further upwards.”
Dr Xu Han, the lead author, from China University of Geosciences, said: “The changing height of Mount Everest really highlights the dynamic nature of the Earth’s surface.
“The interaction between the erosion of the Arun river and the upward pressure of the Earth’s mantle gives Mount Everest a boost, pushing it up higher than it would otherwise be.”
Mount Everest remains the world’s tallest mountain by a comfortable margin. In fact, experts see Everest as an outlier as it is 820ft taller than the second-placed mountain.
The next three tallest peaks, K2, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotse, are all separated by just 390ft.
Dr Jin-Gen Dai, the study’s co-author, of UCL Earth Sciences, said: “An interesting river system exists in the Everest region. The upstream Arun River flows east at high altitude with a flat valley.
“It then abruptly turns south as the Kosi River, dropping in elevation and becoming steeper. This unique topography, indicative of an unsteady state, likely relates to Everest’s extreme height.”
Co-author Dr Matthew Fox, of UCL Earth Sciences, said: “Mount Everest and its neighbouring peaks are growing because the isostatic rebound is raising them up faster than erosion is wearing them down.
“We can see them growing by about two millimetres a year using GPS instruments and now we have a better understanding of what’s driving it.”